available on bandcamp:
https://30gradx.bandcamp.com/track/circles

Circles

Pre-Order: https://habibifunkrecords.bandcamp.com/releases

Habibi Funk will be a new sub label of Jakarta Records, dedicated to re-releasing arabic music from the 1970s and 1980s. It's a label and platform for funky/soulful and/or psych influenced music from the Arab world of the 70s and 80s.

https://www.facebook.com/habibifunk

Dalton was a band from Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. They came together as a band around 1968 when most of the members studied together at the University of Tunis. The band had five members. Faouzi Chekili on guitar, piano and vocals, Ridha Kouhen on bass guitar, Mustapha Rehouma and sax and percussion, Sadok Gharbi on trumpet and vocals and Skaner Alim on drums and vocals. They were active in the local scene, playing music that was heavily influenced by American soul and funk and at the same time regional musical traditions. In the early 70s the band got a regular gig at a beach hotel called Sahara Beach Resort on the coastline of Tunisia. They had six month contracts for a couple of years in the early 70s and during that time they would play every single night of the tourist season. While the hotel gig required the band to play sets leaning      towards tourist entertainment, the regular work helped put some money into the band's accounts. Using those funds the band was able to travel to Rome to record their one and only 7“ single release "Alech" around 1971/1972. The band eventually dismantled in the mid 70s and returned briefly as a new group with new members in the late 1970s under the name Carthago but that is a different story…… 

"That "Soul Brother" is my jam…. !!!!" 
Lefto 

The single itself impressed us heavily when we first stumbled upon it through French collector Victor Kiswell. While the b-side "Soul Brother“ sounds like a Tunisian version of modern soul / AOR with it’s English lyrics and lush arrangements, the title track "Alech“ is the one that will get every party started. An infectious 3/4 rhythm, a great horn arrangement and brillantly layered vocals that made us think of Brazillian music or the Georgian groove band Gaya. Luckily Faouzi Chekili, the former band leader and composer uses social media communication so he was easy to track down. He is still active as a renowned musician in the Tunisian jazz scene and remains active recording and playing concerts both in Tunisia and internationally.
credits

Edit: this is just a little "recorded straight from the wax" preview. The final release will be properly remastered by the homies from Audiomoto Berlin 


Habibi Funk 001: Dalton - Soul Brother (Tunisia, 1972 pre-order link in description)

The very first title in our Africa 45’s series http://www.mrbongo.com/products/amazones-de-guinee-samba-moussa-doumbia-samba-7

Amazones de Guinee - Samba

Pure vibes to start our series. Live and direct, high energy African funk with a powerful vocal, recorded live in Paris in 1983.

Hailing from Guinea they were the countries first all female group, formed by members of Guinean army nonetheless. Their lead percussionist Kade Diallo was killed in a car crash just days after returning from a tour of France in the early 80’s. The group did not record again until 2008, but they continue to tour now, with a new generation of fans.

Taken from the sought after 1983 album ‘Au Coeur De Paris’, previously unreleased on 7”.

Moussa Doumbia - Samba

Malia born Moussa Doumbia and was a prolific saxophonist, composer and arranger, who lived in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

He fused African and Funk rhythms in his own unique style, comparable to the likes of Fela Kuti, Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou and Ebo Taylor. Moussa’s voice is strongly reminiscent of the almighty James Brown. 

Similarly to Fela and The Shrine, Moussa played at ‘Boule Noire’, a club in the cosmopolitan area of his town, Treichville. Every night they would play their own styles for hours to rich businessmen and locals.

‘Samba’ is taken from his 1980 LP ‘Lassissi Presente Moussa Doumbia’ released on Sacodis. Extremely hard to find.

Moussa Doumbia - Samba

Pre-order: https://habibifunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/alech-2

When we first decided to start Habibi Funk, a label dedicated to re-releasing „funky" Arabic music from the 1960s to 1980s, a band called Dalton was the first release we worked on. Dalton was a band from the Tunisian capital of Tunis and they played a unique mix of soul & funk with an Arabic DNA. We licensed the release from the band’s composer Fawzi Chekili, and when we spoke to him on the phone in preparation of the release he mentioned another band he was part of, called Carthago. Our work with Habibi Funk is like a big treasure hunt. There are too many great bands that fully vanished into obscurity and didn’t leave any traces in the digital sphere yet. We are so used to the internet providing all informations we might be looking for, but Carthago was one of those bands where the internet largely failed to provide any infos despite the fact that Carthago created some incredible music in the form of an highly infectious Tunisian take on disco music. Luckily most of the members of the 1970s musical scene of Tunis are still around to tell their story. 


Carthago was founded in the late 1970s as a fusion of Dalton and a second band called Marhaba Band. Both bands frequently played at hotels and night clubs in Tunis and Sousse. They had similar musical influences and despite the fact that they were competition for the most part, they came up with the idea to join forces for a new band. Musically Carthago kept on walking on the musical path of Dalton and Marhaba but incorporated disco music, a new style that was making its way to North Africa from Europe and North America. The band had quite some success on local radio and played a number of big shows with thousands of people showing up. The band’s concerts were a mixture of their own compositions as well as cover versions of the hits of the time from Stevie Wonder to Chicago. At the end of the 70s they went to Paris to record their only, self titled album. For our reissue we picked out two of our favorite tracks: „Hanen“ and the outstanding disco version of the Dalton track „Alech“ which has proved to work on every dance floor we played over the last two years. 


When I came to Tunis for the first time after the Dalton reissue I met Fawzi in person. He still lives in Tunis and still works as a full time musician though his focus has shifted more towards Jazz over the years. Luckily he did not only keep a spotless copy of the Carthago album but he also kept the master tape of the instrumental versions of the album which to this day were unreleased. Being able to add exclusive content to a reissue is something that is rare and we feel highly privileged to be able to do so. Futher more we are so happy that we will be able to add something new to the bands legacy not only musically but also visually: One day I realized that most of the releases from Tunisia I liked, be it from Dalton, Carthago or Marhaba Band had the same photographer credit. 


Hassen Turki started taking photos at a young age and when he was 18 he started going to the gigs of the bands of the time that were playing in the Marhaba Hotel which was managed by his father at the time. He became friends with the bands and ended up being the person to be asked when it came to shooting the photos for the covers of the records. After some research I managed to get in touch with Hassen and met him in his hometown Sousse. Luckily he kept most of the negatives of the photos he took so we’re more than happy to be able to share these unseen photos with whoever is interested. 


Our gratitude goes to all the members of Carthago, Marhaba Band and Dalton: Fawzi Chekili, Hedi Ben Ali (Dede), Ridha Kouhen, Ferid Ben Cheikh, Skander Almi, Hechmi Miliani, Mustapha Rehouma, Kamel Sellam, Claude Chiarello, Taoufik Sellam (Fouka), Sadok Gharbi, Fernando Marino (Nando), Jamel Bel Haj Khelifa and to Hassen Turki for allowing us to use his photos.

Habibi Funk 004: Carthago - Alech (Pre-order link in description)

** OUT ON 30 JUNE 2017 **
http://www.piranha.de/piranha/various_artists/can_i_get_a_witness

Piranha turns 30!

Can I get a Witness? Yes, we can! Get a witness and listen to music from all over the world, one piece at a time, in a single scintillating session of two and a bit hours.

Local roots and international hybrids. Tradition and avant garde. Spiritual ecstasy and zest, political activism, purely psycho-physical dance crazes: Piranha Records has had it all for 30 solid years now – and counting!

From Nubia to Cairo

Ali Hassan Kuban - Mabruk (Congratulation)

12" Vinyl (4 tracks) released 16 March 2018.

Soundway Records presents the debut EP from The Mauskovic Dance Band – a heady, tropical blend of cumbia, Afro-Caribbean rhythms and space disco, culminating in a vibrant hypnotic groove destined for bustling dancefloors.

With each band member of varying heritage, the group draws inspiration from diverse genres: primarily Afro-Colombian styles such as champeta, palenque, cumbia and the picó soundsystem culture, as well as the Afro-Disco and No-Wave scenes in their current base of Amsterdam. The city’s hotbed of underground producers has also brought an electronic edge to the band, with vintage drum machines and synthesisers effortlessly melding with Afro-Latin rhythms and slick guitar riffs to create a contemporary sound rich with cultural influence.

Down In The Basement EP

The Mauskovic Dance Band - Down In the Basement

On croyait le grand raï mort avec le ­déclin de Khaled, Cheb Mami et con­sorts, dans le meilleur des cas réduit à quelques performances vocodées dans les boîtes à chicha des périphéries urbaines. Et voilà qu’il renaît par la voix rauque et enfumée d’un quadragénaire parisien originaire de Sidi Bel Abbès, en Algérie. Trois ans après El Mordjane, disque déjà prometteur, Sofiane Saidi est de retour, accompagné cette fois par Mazalda, un groupe de musiciens lyonnais avec lequel il a déjà électrisé les scènes françaises. En studio, guitares rock et synthés analogiques aux tournures mélismatiques invitent à tournoyer sous les étoiles (el ndjoum en arabe), sur un groove vintage mouillé d’une réverbe intimiste et chaleureuse, qui rappelle moins le raï des années 1990 que celui de la décennie précédente. Car, au-delà de la fête, plus cosmique que stroboscopique, Sofiane Saidi renoue surtout avec l’âpreté des origines, mélangeant batterie et derboukas, flûte électronique et flûte de roseau traditionnelle. Adaptées de vieux morceaux raï, ses chansons suintent le blues, celui que les bergers noyaient autrefois dans la bouteille sous les oliviers. La reprise du Saïda de Cheikha Rimitti qui clôture le disque — un chant de l’exil lancinant — donne des frissons.

| Airfon/Carton Records/L’Autre distribution.

Anne Berthod

El Ndjoum 

07_Gasbah Trisinti_

Ya Raiyat’ is the product of a traditional Yemeni folk song, dismantled and reformed by El Khat and Yemeni inventor, carpenter and music producer Eyal El Wahab. 
Recorded in Eyal's backstreet studio in Tel Aviv filled with mics, speakers and a lot of junk much of which has been repurposed and turned into instruments of every persuasion. 

Sung in Yemeni Arabic, it features a series of handmade instruments including the self-named 'Kearat', a large steel bowl with a piece of wood, some nails and screws and 6 strings sounding like a Banjo-Bass as well as a fuel plastic container and olive oil containers. 
There’s a Pancello as well, which is played with a bow like a cello made out of a saucepan, broken shelf and rope. 

Khat is the natural plant chewed in Yemen and across the Arabic world. 

'Ya Raiyat' comes from a debut album by El Khat set for release later this year.

7inch Vinyl

El Khat - Ya Raiyat - يا راعيات (Single)

Ahmed Fakroun - Nisyan

Ghajar (feat Zied Zouari)

Download

Ghajar (feat. Zied Zouari)

Rogér Fakhr - Had To Come Back Wet (Lebanon, Habibi Funk 016)

Born in the city of Sid bel Abbes, in the region of Algeria that gave birth to rai music, Sofiane Saidi, inventor of oriental glam. began his musical career at an early age in local bands before moving to Paris. In 1996 he joined the afro hip-hop group Tukuleur, signed at the time to Universal, going on to collaborate with drum and bass artist and producer Naab on the album 'Salaam Aleikoum' in 1998. At the same time he toured across Europe with another band, Yog Sothoth, whose album 'Minaret' was released in 2001. 

In 2003 he worked on the album 'Le Dernier Cri' by Ali Dragon, a project from members of French bands Louise Attaque and Antidote. While touring this project, at a festival in Spain his distinctive voice caught the attention of Natacha Atlas, who invited him to London to record 2 duets with her on her album 'Mish Maoul' released in 2006. Following this he continued his travels on tour with the Sidi bel Abbes based rai outfit Raina Rai, legendary in Algeria as the first group to play rai as a live band. 

Back in Paris, Sofiane finally began work on an album of his own. He named the project 'El Morjane' Arabic for 'The Coral,’ a metaphor for the rarest and most precious things in life. The songs, all written in Arabic, tell in the manner of the old classic Egyptian musical dramas, the joys and sorrows of their protagonists: the ironies of fate in 'Mektoub' the memories of 'Gasbah ' and, of course, the universal theme of love. 

Working between Brest, Algeria, Paris and London, Sofiane Saidi has collaborated on the album with Jean Baptiste Ferre (Orchestre National de Barbes) and Tim Whelan (Transglobal Underground) along with a number of Paris based Algerian artists, and, on 'Kallimatte' a guest appearance from Natacha Atlas. 

Meanwhile Sofiane has been involved in several other projects including the release of a live album with Natacha Atlas HYPERLINK "http://www.natacha-atlas.com" www.natacha-atlas.com and the creation of ‘El Taqa’ by the Breton group Startijenn HYPERLINK "http://www.startijenn.com" www.startijenn.com 


Currently, in advance of the release of 'Al Morjane' Sofiane Saidi is working as musical director of a cabaret touring in France performing a veritable explosion of oriental glamour. HYPERLINK "http://www.sofianesaidi.com" www.sofianesaidi.com 

Né dans le berceau de la musique raï (Sidi bel abbes), Sofiane Saidi, créateur de l’oriental glam, fait ses premières armes très jeune dans des groupes locaux puis s’installe à Paris. En 96 il rejoint le groupe afro hip-hop Tukuleur (Universal Music) ; il collabore avec l’artiste Naab sur l’album "Salam aleikoum" en 98 (Bloom records), en parallèle il sillone les scènes d’Europe avec Yog Sothoth et enregistre l’album "Minaret "(2001). En 2003, il participe cette fois à l’album "le dernier cri" du collectif Ali Dragon (Label atmosphérique-universal) qui réunissait la section rythmique de Louise Attaque et Antidote.



C’est lors d’un festival en Espagne, en Août 2003, que la voix singulière de Sofiane retient l’attention de Natacha Atlas. Cette dernière l’invite à Londres et deux duos naîtront ("Oully" et "La li khaouf") qui figurent sur l’album de la chanteuse, "Mish maoul" (beggars group-naïve-avril ), puis il rejoint pour une tournée algérienne le groupe de raï légendaire "Raïna raï". De retour à Paris, il décide enfin d’écrire tout un album. Il élabore un projet "El Morjane" ou "Le corail", une métaphore des choses précieuses et rares de la vie. Ces chansons écrites dans sa langue maternelle, racontent, à la manière des comédies musicales égyptiennes, les joies et les tourments de leurs héros : La tragédie désopilante des destins "Mektoub", les souvenirs "Gasbah", et le thème universel de l’amour ! 
Entre Brest (CCM) l’Algérie, Paris et Londres, il collabore sur cet album avec Jean baptiste Ferre (l’Onb), Tim Wellan le fondateur du groupe londonien mythique (Transglobal underground )
plusieurs projets sont en cours en ce moment :
la sortie d’un album Live avec Natacha Atlas www.natacha-atlas.com
et il participe également a la création "El Taqa" du Groupe Breton Startijenn
www.startijenn.com
En attendant la sortie de l’album "El Mordjane" il présente sur scène ses chansons, une véritable invasion glamour orientale.
http://www.sofianesaidi.com/

07_Gasbah Trisinti_

SOFIANE SAIDI

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