Album out now!

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003IT 
Bandcamp: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003BC
Spotify: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003Spotify
Indiepush: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003IP
Amazon.com: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003AZ
Bleep: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003Bleep
Norman Records: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003NormanRecords

 Buy CD/LP/DL now!

Alif - Aynama-Rtama الألف - أينما ارتمى

Khyam Allami - As I Open My Eyes/A peine j'ouvre les yeux (Original Soundtrack)

The Dwarfs of East Agouza - Bes

Release date: 06 June 2011
Catalogue Number: NAWA001



Resonance/Dissonance

An Alif/An Apex

Buy on iTunes

Khyam Allami - An Alif/An Apex خيّام اللامي - ألفٌ/أوجٌ

Tawazon I: Balance

Khyam Allami - Tawazon I:  Balance خيّام اللامي - توازن

From the album Benhayyi Al-Baghbaghan (Salute the Parrot). In collaboration with Tamer Abu Ghazaleh (Buzuq), Mahmoud Waly (Bass) and Tarek El Shabah (Drums).

NAWA002 - Available as Download, CD, 12" Black and ltd. edition Green Vinyl LP. 

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/NAWA002iTunes
Google Play: http://smarturl.it/NAWA002GooglePlay
Bandcamp: http://smarturl.it/NAWA002Bandcamp

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/NAWA002Amazon
Fnac: http://smarturl.it/NAWA002Fnac

Spotify: http://smarturl.it/NAWA002Spotify
Deezer: http://smarturl.it/NAWA002Deezer
Rdio: http://smarturl.it/NAWA002Rdio

====================


من البوم "بنحيّي البغبغان"  بالإشتراك مع تامر ابو غزالة (بزق)محمود والي (باص جيتار) طارق الشبح (درامز)
البوم "بنحيّي البغبغان" متوفر الآن على سي دي، فينيل 12" وألبوم رقمي للتحميل من الروابط السابقة. في البلدان العربية يمكنكم الحصول على نسخ من المحلات التالية:

بيروت، لبنان:  دواوين، الجميزة / مزيان، الحمراء

القاهرة، مصر: إنجز على ١٩٧٨٣ (خدمة توصيل لحد مكانك) / زفير، الزمالك

عمان، الأردن:  ترتل جرين، شارع الرينبو


iTunes

Maurice Louca - Al-Mashoub (Idiot) موريس لوقا - المسحوب

From the album Benhayyi Al-Baghbaghan (Salute the Parrot). In collaboration with Alaa 50 (Vocals), Alan Bishop (Saxophone), Bashar Farran (Bass) and Chris Michael Shaheen (Drums).

NAWA002 - Available as Download, CD, 12" Black and ltd. edition Green Vinyl LP. 

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/NAWA002iTunes
Google Play: http://smarturl.it/NAWA002GooglePlay
Bandcamp: http://smarturl.it/NAWA002Bandcamp

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/NAWA002Amazon
Fnac: http://smarturl.it/NAWA002Fnac

Spotify: http://smarturl.it/NAWA002Spotify
Deezer: http://smarturl.it/NAWA002Deezer
Rdio: http://smarturl.it/NAWA002Rdio

====================


من البوم "بنحيّي البغبغان" بالإشتراك مع علاء ٥٠ (غناء)، الان بيشوب (ساكسوفون)، بشار فران (باص جيتار) وكريس مايكل شاهين (درامز(

البوم "بنحيّي البغبغان" متوفر الآن على سي دي، فينيل 12" وألبوم رقمي للتحميل من الروابط السابقة. في البلدان العربية يمكنكم الحصول على نسخ من المحلات التالية:

بيروت، لبنان:  دواوين، الجميزة / مزيان، الحمراء

القاهرة، مصر: إنجز على ١٩٧٨٣ (خدمة توصيل لحد مكانك) / زفير، الزمالك

عمان، الأردن:  ترتل جرين، شارع الرينبو


Maurice Louca - Sharraq Rah Tegharrab (It Will Set) موريس لوقا - شرّق راح تغرّب

"Le reportage de Lydie Mushamalirwa. Elle a rencontré Maurice Louca, un compositeur venu du Caire, adepte d'un genre hybride entre sonorités électroniques et populaires, son electro chaabi expérimental s'était invité à la salle parisienne de la Gaîté lyrique."

Maurice Louca interview on RFI's "La Band Passant" (FRENCH) 30-10-2014

From the album Aynama-Rtama out now on CD, LP (black and ltd. edition red 12" vinyl) and Download. 

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003IT 
Bandcamp: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003BC
Spotify: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003Spotify
Indiepush: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003IP
Amazon.com: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003AZ
Bleep: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003Bleep
Norman Records: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003NormanRecords

خُيولي 
أخَفُّ مِنَ الرِّيحِ 

سَنابِكُها تَقدَحُ الشَّراراتِ 
إذْ نَدْخُلُ المُدُنَ 

الحَرْبُ تَسْتَلقي 
كالعَروسِ بِإنتِظاري 

والحَتْفُ يَتَكلَّمُ بِاسمي 
فأنا هولاكو: 

سَيْفٌ في غِمدهِ لا يَسْتَريحُ 

ظِلّهُ أَينَما ارْتَمى 
يَستَنسِلُ غَيْمَةً مِنَ العُقبانِ الجائِعَة 
تطفو فوق البيوت 

حيثُ يَراني 
اللاجئونَ في 
كَوابيسِهِم بَينَ الخَرائِبِ 

- شعر لسركون بولص (١٩٤٤-٢٠٠٧). الترجمة الانجليزية لناريمان يوسف 

-------------------- 

My stallions 
are lighter than the wind. 

The fire of their hooves 
singes the earth 
as we enter the cities. 

War reclines, 
a submissive bride at my call, 
and Death speaks in my name, 
for I am Hulagu: 

a sword untiring, 
its shadow, wherever it falls, 
begets a cloud of hungry vultures 
that circle the houses 
where refugees 
see me in their nightmares 
among the ruins. 

- Poem by Sargon Boulus (1944-2007). English translation by Nariman Youssef.

----------------------------------------
Alif is Tamer Abu Ghazaleh (Vocals, Buzuq), Khyam Allami (Oud), Maurice Louca (Keys, Electronics), Bashar Farran (Bass Guitar), Khaled Yassine (Drums, Percussion).

Composed, Arranged, Performed and Produced by Alif

Recorded and edited by Khyam Allami at Tunefork Studios, Beirut, Lebanon, 19-22 Dec 2013 and in Cairo, Egypt May 2014, unless otherwise noted.

Drums recorded by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh and engineered by Fadi Tabbal at Boustros Palace, Beirut, Lebanon, 16-18 Dec 2013.

Bass recorded by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh at Tunefork Studios, Beirut, Lebanon, 18 Dec 2014.

Mixed by Alistair Chant at Toybox Studios, Bristol, UK

Mastered by John Dent at Loud Mastering, Taunton, UK

(c) & (p) 2015 Alif under exclusive license to Nawa Recordings. 

----------------------------------------

http://www.nawarecordings.com 
http://twitter.com/nawarecordings 
http://facebook.com/nawarecordings

http://www.alif.xyz
http://twitter.com/alif_music
http://facebook.com/alifmusic1

Get it on iTunes

Alif - Holako (Hulagu) الألف - هولاكو

From the album Aynama-Rtama out now on CD, LP (black and ltd. edition red 12" vinyl) and Download. 

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003IT 
Bandcamp: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003BC
Spotify: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003Spotify
Indiepush: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003IP
Amazon.com: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003AZ
Bleep: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003Bleep
Norman Records: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003NormanRecords

دَرْسٌ مِنَ كامَاسُوترا
بِكوبِ الشَّرابِ المُرَصَّعِ باللازَوَردِ
انْتَظِرْها،
بِصَبْرِ الحِصانِ المُعَدّ لِمُنْحَدَراتِ الجِبالِ
انْتَظِرْها،

بِذَوْقِ الأميرِ الرَّفيعِ البَديعِ
انْتَظِرْها
بِسَبْعِ وَسائدَ مَحْشُوَّةٍ بِالسَّحابِ الخَفيفِ
انتَظِرْها،
بنارِ البَخُورِ النِّسائيِّ مِلءَ المَكانِ
انتَظِرْها،

ولا تَتَعَجَّلْ
فإنْ أَقْبَلَتْ بَعْدَ مَوْعِدِها
فَانْتَظِرْها،
وَإِن أَقْبَلَتْ قَبْلَ مَوْعِدِها
فانْتَظِرْها
وَلا تُجْفِلِ الطَّيْرَ فَوْقَ جَدائِلِها
وانْتَظِرْها،
لِكَيْ تَتَنَفَّسَ هذا الهواءَ الغَريبَ عَلى قَلبِها
وانْتَظِرها،
لِتَرفَعَ عَنْ ساقِها ثَوْبَها غَيْمَةً غَيمَةً
وانْتَظِرْها،

ومُسَّ على مَهَلٍ يَدَها عِنْدَما تَضَعُ الكأسَ فَوْقَ الرُّخامِ
كأنَّكَ  تَحْمِلُ عَنْها النَّدى
وانْتَظِرها،

تَحَدَّثْ إِلَيْها كَما يَتَحَدَّثُ  نايٌ إِلى وَتَرٍ خائِفٍ في الكَمانِ
كَأنَّكُما شاهِدانِ على ما يُعِدُّ غَدٌ لكما
وانْتَظِرْها،

وَلَمِّعْ لَها لَيْلَها خاتَماً خاتَماً
وانْتَظِرْها
إِلى أَن يَقولَ لَكَ اللَّيلُ:
لَمْ يَبْقَ غَيْرُكُما في الوجودِ
فَخُذْها، بِرِفْقٍ، إِلى مَوْتِكَ المُشْتَهى
وانْتَظِرْها

شعر لمحمود درويش

With a wine glass, ornamented in lapis lazuli,
wait for her. With the patience of a horse prepared for mountain slopes,
wait for her. With the courtesy of a refined and splendid prince, 
wait for her.

With the softness of seven pillows filled with clouds, 
wait for her. With the fire of feminine incense that fills the place, 
wait for her, and don’t make haste.


If she arrives behind time,
if she arrives ahead of time, 
wait for her.

Don’t startle the bird resting on her curls, and wait for her
to make herself as comfortable as a garden in full bloom, and wait for her 
to breathe this air that is a stranger to her heart, and wait for her
to pull up her dress one cloud at a time, and wait for her. 

When she places the glass on the marble top, slowly touch her hand 
as if to relieve her of the burden of dew drops, 
and wait for her.

Talk to her, like a flute to an anxious violin string,
like two witnesses to the schemes of some tomorrow, 
and wait for her. Polish her night one ring at a time, and wait for her
until the night tells you: 

There is no one left in the world
but the two of you. Only then, 
take her, gently, to your desired death,
and wait for her.

Poem by Mahmoud Darwish. English translation by Nariman Youssef

----------------------------------------
Alif is Tamer Abu Ghazaleh (Vocals, Buzuq), Khyam Allami (Oud), Maurice Louca (Keys, Electronics), Bashar Farran (Bass Guitar), Khaled Yassine (Drums, Percussion).

Composed, Arranged, Performed and Produced by Alif

Recorded and edited by Khyam Allami at Tunefork Studios, Beirut, Lebanon, 19-22 Dec 2013 and in Cairo, Egypt May 2014, unless otherwise noted.

Drums recorded by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh and engineered by Fadi Tabbal at Boustros Palace, Beirut, Lebanon, 16-18 Dec 2013.

Bass recorded by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh at Tunefork Studios, Beirut, Lebanon, 18 Dec 2014.

Mixed by Alistair Chant at Toybox Studios, Bristol, UK

Mastered by John Dent at Loud Mastering, Taunton, UK

(c) & (p) 2015 Alif under exclusive license to Nawa Recordings.

----------------------------------------

www.nawarecordings.com 
twitter.com/nawarecordings 
facebook.com/nawarecordings

www.alif.xyz
twitter.com/alif_music
facebook.com/alifmusic1

Alif - Dars Min Kama Sutra (Lesson From Kama Sutra) الألف - درس من كاما سوترا

From the album Aynama-Rtama out now on CD, LP (black and ltd. edition red 12" vinyl) and Download. 

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003IT 
Bandcamp: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003BC
Spotify: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003Spotify
Indiepush: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003IP
Amazon.com: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003AZ
Bleep: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003Bleep
Norman Records: http://smarturl.it/NAWA003NormanRecords

قومْ يا بيش
قومْ وَلَوْ نَعْسان
قومْ يا بيش
قَمَرْ يْدورْ ويْعيش
قومْ لا تْنام
طير وحَمام
راح الرِّيش
قومْ لا تْنام
يا بيش

قومْ لا تْنام يا بيش
قَمَرْ يْدور ويْعيش
صوت يصيح بِدانَك
نومَك بيِكْفيش

قومْ لا تنام يا بيش لادبَحْلَك
طير وحَمام والريش يِمْسَحْلَك
هالحيطان ويفوت بنومَك
قَمَر يدور ويعيش

قومْ لا تنام بَرْدان ما تِنسى
صُوَرَك عالحيطان يا بيش 
وصوت يصيح بِدانك يِعلى
نومَك بِيْكَفّيش

قومْ لا تنام يا بيش لا تنام
وَلَو هَلكان مَوجوعْ لا تنام
بَرد وخوف وريش يلومَك
وقَمَر يدور ويعيش

شَمس تنام دَفيان وادبَحْلَك
طير وحَمام يا بيش
شمس تدور وتعيش واضْويلَك
هالبُستان يا بيش
شَمْس تنام دَفيان وادبَحلَك
طير وحَمام يا بيش
شَمس تدور وتعيش واحكيلَك
يلا تنام يا بيش

كلمات من تأليف تامر ابو غزالة - 

Rise, Beesh.
Rise even if you’re sleepy.
Rise, Beesh.
A moon that turns and lives.
Rise, don’t sleep.
Birds and doves,
feathers gone.
Rise, Beesh, don’t sleep.

Rise, Beesh, don’t sleep.
A moon that turns and lives.
A voice screams in your ears:
It’s not enough to sleep.

Rise, Beesh, don’t sleep.
Else I’ll sacrifice the birds and doves for you,
their feathers will cover these walls, and
a moon that turns and lives
will circle in your sleep.

Rise, don’t sleep while cold,
and don’t forget
your pictures on these walls, Beesh.
The voice in your ears screams louder: 
It’s not enough to sleep.

Rise, Beesh, don’t sleep.
Even if  drained and hurting, don’t sleep.

Cold and fear and feathers reproach you.
A moon that turns and lives.

A sun to sleep in warmth,
a sacrifice of birds and doves, for you, Beesh.

A sun that turns and lives,
a garden of light, for you, Beesh.

A sun to sleep in warmth,
a sacrifice of birds and doves, for you, Beesh.
A sun that turns and lives, and a lullaby:

Close your eyes, go to sleep, Beesh.

- Lyrics by Tamer Abu Ghazaleh, English translation by Nariman Youssef

----------------------------------------
Alif is Tamer Abu Ghazaleh (Vocals, Buzuq), Khyam Allami (Oud), Maurice Louca (Keys, Electronics), Bashar Farran (Bass Guitar), Khaled Yassine (Drums, Percussion).

Composed, Arranged, Performed and Produced by Alif

Recorded and edited by Khyam Allami at Tunefork Studios, Beirut, Lebanon, 19-22 Dec 2013 and in Cairo, Egypt May 2014, unless otherwise noted.

Drums recorded by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh and engineered by Fadi Tabbal at Boustros Palace, Beirut, Lebanon, 16-18 Dec 2013.

Bass recorded by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh at Tunefork Studios, Beirut, Lebanon, 18 Dec 2014.

Mixed by Alistair Chant at Toybox Studios, Bristol, UK

Mastered by John Dent at Loud Mastering, Taunton, UK

(c) & (p) 2015 Alif under exclusive license to Nawa Recordings.

----------------------------------------

www.nawarecordings.com 
twitter.com/nawarecordings 
facebook.com/nawarecordings

www.alif.xyz
twitter.com/alif_music
facebook.com/alifmusic1

Buy Now on iTunes

Alif - Yalla Tnam (Lullaby) الألف - يلّا تنام

Buy on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/NAWA004IT
Buy the CD via Amazon: http://smarturl.it/NAWA004AZ
Buy the CD via FNAC: http://smarturl.it/NAWA004Fnac

Lyrics in Arabic, English and French below.

Taken from the original soundtrack to the award winning film "As I Open My Eyes/A peine j’ouvre les yeux" by Leyla Bouzid. 

Music composed, arranged and produced by Khyam Allami. Lyrics by Ghassan Amami.

Available worldwide on CD (with 24 page booklet) and download (with digital booklet), including Mastered for iTunes and lossless high-definition 24-bit/96kHz audio files.

All editions feature artwork by Lebanese designer Jana Traboulsi and trilingual booklets with lyrics in Arabic, English and French.

Performed by Joujma, the fictional band created for the film:

Baya Medhaffar as Farah (vocals), Montasser Ayari as Borhene (oud), Deena Abdelwahed as Ines (keys & electronics), and the brothers Marwen Soltana as Sami (bass) and Youssef Soltana as Ska (drums).

Mixed by Khyam Allami. Mastered by Jason Mitchell, Loud Mastering, UK.

NAWA004

********************

مالفّدة

مالفّدة شي ما يتعّدى
صاحي ولا مخمور
مالْقلق راسك يتْفلق
لا دوا ينفع لا بخور
وين تمشي تضربك الحيوط
وتقعد تدور تدور تدور

مالكّبي تفّرغ وتعّبي
Toutes les nuits, tous les jours
وكان زهيت يهّدو عليك الرهوط
تقوم تهرب وتدور تدور تدور

تزبريطه تجي ڤنوط
ترّصيلك تدور تدور تدور
تدور كي الزربوط
وتطيح ماكلكّبوط

FROM BOREDOM
From boredom, nothing survives 
sober or inebriated.
Your head explodes from torpidity, 
neither remedy nor incense
have any effect. 

Wherever you go,
you bounce between the walls. 
You find yourself
turning, turning, turning...

You’re over flowing with bad luck, 
every night, every day. 
And should you rejoice
the sky falls in on you.
You get up, flee
and turn, turn, turn...

One drink and you’re off 
turning,turning,turning... 
like a spinning wheel. 
Then you fall!
Taking a beating.

DE L’ENNUI
De l’ennui, rien ne réchappe,
sobre ou enivré.
De la torpeur, ta tête explose, 
ni remède, ni encens n’ont d’effet. 
Où que tu ailles, t’es au pied du mur, 
et tu te retrouves
à tourner, tourner, tourner...

De la guigne, tu es rempli. 
Toutes les nuits, tous les jours. 
Et si jamais tu te réjouis,
les tuiles te tombent dessus. 
Tu te lèves, fuis
et tu tournes, tournes, tournes...

Une beuverie et tu es parti 
Et tu tournes encore, encore, 
Tu tournes tel une toupie 
Jusqu’àtomber!
T’as pris une sacrée raclée !


Joujma - Mel Fadda (From Boredom/De l’ennui) – Studio Version

Buy on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/NAWA004IT
Buy the CD via Amazon: http://smarturl.it/NAWA004AZ
Buy the CD via FNAC: http://smarturl.it/NAWA004Fnac

Lyrics in Arabic, English and French below.

Taken from the original soundtrack to the award winning film "As I Open My Eyes/A peine j’ouvre les yeux" by Leyla Bouzid. 

Music composed, arranged and produced by Khyam Allami. Lyrics by Ghassan Amami.

Available worldwide on CD (with 24 page booklet) and download (with digital booklet), including Mastered for iTunes and lossless high-definition 24-bit/96kHz audio files.

All editions feature artwork by Lebanese designer Jana Traboulsi and trilingual booklets with lyrics in Arabic, English and French.

Performed by Joujma, the fictional band created for the film:

Baya Medhaffar as Farah (vocals), Montasser Ayari as Borhene (oud), Deena Abdelwahed as Ines (keys & electronics), and the brothers Marwen Soltana as Sami (bass) and Youssef Soltana as Ska (drums).

Mixed by Khyam Allami. Mastered by Jason Mitchell, Loud Mastering, UK.

NAWA004

********************

بلادي

بلادي يا بلاد الشب
بيبانك مسكرة وعِتب
جواعى تاكل في السب
علّي الـvolume ستب ستب

بلادي يا بلاد الشب
كلابك سنيها ذهب
والزّوالي واحل في الغب
علّي الـvolume ستب ستب

بلادي يا بلاد الشب
عطاشى تدعي للرب 
غدوة يحرق كان كتب
علّي الـvolume ستب ستب

********************
MY COUNTRY

My country,

oh, my country

land of dust.

Your gates are closed,
and bring misfortune.

The starving are eating insults. 
Turn up the volume, stib stib!


My country, land of dust!
Your dogs’ teeth are made of gold
but the gums of the poor are toothless. 
Turn up the volume, stib stib!

My country, land of dust!
The thirsty beg to the good lord.
Tomorrow, they’ll be exiled if destiny so wishes. 
Turn up the volume, stib stib!

********************

MON PAYS

Mon pays,
oh mon pays,
pays de poussière.

Tes portes sont fermées,

et portent malheur.

Les affamés se mangent des insultes. 
Monte le volume, Stib Stib !

Mon pays, pays de poussière !
Tes chiens ont des dents en or
et les démunis n’ont que des gencives. 
Monte le volume, Stib Stib !

Mon pays, pays de poussière !

Les assoiffés supplient le bon Dieu. 
Demain, ils s’exilent si le destin le veut. 
Monte le volume, Stib Stib !


Joujma - Bladi (My Country/Mon pays) - Studio Version

Buy on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/NAWA004IT
Buy the CD via Amazon: http://smarturl.it/NAWA004AZ
Buy the CD via FNAC: http://smarturl.it/NAWA004Fnac

Lyrics in Arabic, English and French below.

Taken from the original soundtrack to the award winning film "As I Open My Eyes/A peine j’ouvre les yeux" by Leyla Bouzid. 

Music composed, arranged and produced by Khyam Allami. Lyrics by Ghassan Amami.

Available worldwide on CD (with 24 page booklet) and download (with digital booklet), including Mastered for iTunes and lossless high-definition 24-bit/96kHz audio files.

All editions feature artwork by Lebanese designer Jana Traboulsi and trilingual booklets with lyrics in Arabic, English and French.

Performed by Joujma, the fictional band created for the film:

Baya Medhaffar as Farah (vocals), Montasser Ayari as Borhene (oud), Deena Abdelwahed as Ines (keys & electronics), and the brothers Marwen Soltana as Sami (bass) and Youssef Soltana as Ska (drums).

Mixed by Khyam Allami. Mastered by Jason Mitchell, Loud Mastering, UK.

NAWA004

********************

على حلّة عيني

كي نرا الدّنيا عتبه في كل ثنيّه
نعطيها سكره و نْغمّض عينيّا
عادا كل مرّه نشوف بنيّه
ساعات تظهرلي نفس الطُّفْله
في الآخر تطلع موشي هيّا

في مخّي صورتها بدّاله
عين حْبارى وعين مذباله
زرقا سماوي في الضو مخضاره
كحلا شهلا تقحر مزيانه مسراره

على حلّة عيني نشوف ناس محرومه
مالخدمه والقدمة والدنيا برّا الحومه
محقورين مقهورين في الخرا للكرومه
يتنفسوا من تحت الصبّاط

على حلّة عيني نشوف ناس هاجّه
شاقّه خلا البحر، للموت حاجّه
من همّ البلاد الأمخاخ ولاّت خاجّه
تلوّج على همّ جديد غير الّي رات 

على حلّة  عيني نشوف ناس كالحه
في العرق واحلين ودموعهم مالحه
دمهم مسروق وحلمتهم بالحه
على ظهورهم تبنات قصورات

**********

AS I OPEN MY EYES
When I see this world of closed doors,
I get drunk, and close my eyes.
And every time a girl appears to me.
Sometimes she seems to be the same
But in the end she is another.

In my mind her image is moving.
An eye in blossom and another wilting.
Like a blue sky that turns green in the light.
Dark, hazel, angry, shining, smiling...

As I open my eyes,
I see a people deprived of work, of food 
and a life outside their neighbourhood.
Despised, aggrieved, up to their eyes in problems
They breathe through the soles of their feet.

As I open my eyes,
I see those retreating to exile,
crossing the ocean's immensity,
on a pilgrimage to death.
With the country's troubles,
people lose their minds
looking for new troubles,
different from those they knew.

As I open my eyes,
I see people who are extinguished.
Trapped in their sweat,
and their tears are salty.
Their blood has been stolen
and their dreams have faded,
while castles were built on their backs.

**********

A PEINE J'OUVRE LES YEUX
Quand je vois ce monde
de portes fermées,
je m'enivre et ferme les yeux.
Alors à chaque fois,
une fille m'apparaît.
Parfois, elle semble être la même,
finalement, c'en est une autre.

Dans mon esprit,
son image est mouvante :
Un œil fleuri et un autre fané,
bleus ciel,
qui virent au vert à la lumière,
noirs, noisettes, colériques,
rayonnants, souriants…

A peine j'ouvre les yeux,
je vois les gens privés
de travail, de bouffe,
et d'une vie hors de leur quartier.
Méprisés, dépités,
dans la merde jusqu'au cou,
ils respirent par leurs semelles.

A peine j'ouvre les yeux,
je vois des gens qui s'exilent,
traversant l'immensité de la mer,
en pèlerinage vers la mort.
De la galère du pays,
les têtes perdent l'esprit,
cherchant une galère nouvelle,
que celles déjà vues.

A peine j'ouvre les yeux,
je vois des gens éteints,
coincés dans la sueur,
leurs larmes sont salées,
leur sang est volé
et leurs rêves délavés.
Sur leur dos,
on construit des châteaux.

Joujma - ‘Ala Hallet ‘Aini (As I Open My Eyes/A peine j’ouvre les yeux) - Studio Version

From the upcoming double album "Bes" out on Nawa Recordings 29 April 2016.  

Pre-order on iTunes now and download this track immediately: http://smarturl.it/NAWA005IT

Bandcamp: http://smarturl.it/NAWA005BC
Spotify: http://smarturl.it/NAWA005Spotify
CD & LP pre-orders: http://smarturl.it/NAWA005preorders

****************

The Dwarfs of East Agouza is a trio from Cairo, Egypt, featuring Maurice Louca (Alif, Bikya), Sam Shalabi (Land of Kush, Shalabi Effect) and Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls, The Invisible Hands, Alvarius B.).

Born during 2012 when the three were living in the same apartment building in Cairo’s Agouza district, the trio’s instrumental improvisation-based explorations are propelled by Louca’s North African percussion loops and shimmering keys, Shalabi’s West African tinged free jazz guitar and grounded by Bishop’s driving Krautrock-style acoustic bass.

Following many a late night jam session, the band recorded hours of material during a three-day studio run in April 2014. After compiling and mixing the album in Montreal’s Break Glass studio in July 2015, the refined result will be released as a double-album titled Bes via Nawa Recordings (NAWA005) on 2xLP, 2xCD and DL on 29 April 2016.

Named after the Ancient Egyptian dwarf deity who was worshiped as the defender of all things good and enemy of all that is bad, Bes captures the trio on a hypnotic yet unpredictable journey. From the the lilt of four-minute ethiopian tinged Resinance to the 30-minute free-form epic Museum of Stranglers, the album skirts the outer limits of a psychedelic soundtrack to a North African road trip.

Bes by The Dwarfs of East Agouza will be available on CD, black & limited edition coloured 12” vinyl LP and download, including Mastered for iTunes and lossless high-definition 24-bit/96kHz audio files.

The album artwork features a reproduction of an ancient Egyptian carving of the dwarf god Bes, painted by Egyptian artist Raafat Al-Kordy, designed by Iraqi-Palestinian graphic designer and illustrator Sara Sukhun.


Pre-order on iTunes

The Dwarfs of East Agouza - Baka of the Future أقزام شرق العجوزة - باقة المستقبل

The Dwarfs of East Agouza - Clean Shahin أقزام شرق العجوزة - نضافة شاهين

Nawa Recordings are proud to announce the release of Prelude for the Triumphant Man, the debut EP by Two or The Dragon.

Two or The Dragon is the Lebanese electro-acoustic noise duo of Abed Kobeissy and Ali Hout. 

Founded in 2014 under the premise of exploring Arabic music’s ability to express industrial city scapes and the violence that has plagued the Arab world, the duo’s unique sound of processed Buzuq (levantine long-necked lute) and various hand percussions takes the sonic and visual day-to-day that is Beirut and reflects it hyper-realistically.

The drilling and banging of post-war reconstruction and urban development, the incessant hum and vibration of electricity generators, private water pumps and gasoline motors, the cacophony of car horns in unpredictable traffic, all are represented alongside a wailing pseudo-political rallying cry in an unfathomable psuedo-Arabic tongue.

Without allowing nostalgia or frustration to take over their narrative, Two or The Dragon manage to creatively express both the ugliness and the beauty of this bitter reality in a manner not unlike the early recordings of Einsturzende Neubauten or the soundtrack to David Lynch’s Eraserhead.

Released to coincide with their first European outings, including an appearance at the UK’s Supersonic Festival, this 17-minute long three-part work serves as an introduction to the duo’s aesthetic and a taster of what’s to come next year.

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Khyam Allami at One Hertz Studios in Beirut (Nov 2016), the EP artwork features a detail from a photograph by Margot Becka titled MEA, designed by Jana Traboulsi.

Prelude for the Triumphant Man by Two or The Dragon will be available as a streaming and download only EP including Mastered for iTunes and lossless high-definition 24-bit/96kHz audio files.

Nawa Recordings

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks