Sublime Frequencies with Omar Souleyman & Group Doueh
with Sublime Frequencies DJs + special guests Akron/Family
at Fiddlers
(Sun 24th May 2009 / 8pm / £9adv)
A wild night for all concerned, going off as soon as the doors open, at which we are inviting global musics of different persuasions to go off together like firecrackers. Exploding lazy notions, revelling in smoke and mirrors, and creating myth.
The Sublime Frequencies tour comes to Bristol with very special guests Akron/Family, who have a history of throwing a good party with Qu Junktions - so it's Syrian party bangers, incendiary African desert groove and American boiling point freak 'n' rock 'n' roll. Add to this DJ's from Sublime Frequencies (probably the ultimate crate digging, door opening, music gathering world explorers on the planet) and you have a Qu Funktion like no other. Worldwide and ready to go.
In short this night will bring disparate musics together, forging links, friendships and dances. All is go with Omar Souleyman's intoxicating Syrian wedding music (his tracks have been kick-starting many a dance party in Bristol over the past 18 months), Group Doueh's Western Saharan blues, Arabic grooves and over-ridden psychedelic guitars, plus celebratory sing along rock gospel from the heads up, beards down Akron/Family (one of Micheal Gira's favourite bands).
Omar Souleyman is a musical legend from Syria. For the past 15 years, he and his group have emerged as a staple of folk-pop throughout the country, having issued more than five-hundred studio and live-recorded cassette albums which are easily spotted in the shops of any Syrian city. Hailing from the rural north eastern city of Ras Al Ain, Souleyman began his musical career in 1994 with a small group of local collaborators that have been with him from the start. The group tirelessly performs concerts throughout Syria and has accepted invitations to perform abroad in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Lebanon.
The myriad musical traditions of the region are evident in their music, which reflect the sounds of Syria, Iraq, Turkey and the sizeable Kurdish population. The moods swing from coarse and urgent to dirgy and contemplative in the rugged anthems that comprise Souleyman's repertoire. Expect the ultimate party music. Omar's superb and varied vocal stylings feature over high-octane Syrian 'Dabke' (the regional folkloric dance music) and a host of other styles. Frantic Arabic keyboard solos provided by the incredible Rizan Sa'id intertwine with reeds, stringed instruments and percussion. Mahmoud Harbi, a long-time collaborator and the man responsible for much of the poetry sung by Souleyman accompanies Omar for an unforgettable onstage collaboration as they perform the Ataba, a traditional form of folk poetry, where Omar's unaccompanied freestyle 'mawal' singing stands in a league of its own.
This is a rare opportunity to glimpse into Syrian street-level folk-pop – a phenomenon seldom heard in the West in this form, and rarely, if ever, included on the import agenda of worldwide academic musical committees. Europe seems to have taken a shine to Omar Souleyman... weddings want him, Damon Albran plays him on Radio 1 and WMFU are big fans. Experience the genuine sounds of Syria and the Middle East without the condescending polish and shine of much exported 'world beat'.
Group Doueh are led by the enigmatic guitar hero Bamaar Salmou, who is known simply as 'Doueh' (pronounced: 'Doo-way'). They are from Dakhla, in the Western Sahara. The group's sound is unlike anything that you've ever heard before. It is a sound that is rooted in the traditional foundations of Sahrawi/Hassania music, but one that is also entirely its own. It shares its roots with the neighbouring styles of Mauritanian music, however Group Doueh have managed to transcend the classical limitations of that music with a fiery, independent, and avant approach that incorporates a distinctly pop and rock element that is anomalous in the region. This is a sound that can only come from the land that inspired it. This is the sound of the Sahara desert. It is a searing, meditative, and hypnotic modal sandstorm of note clusters that has been cathartic to anyone who has heard it.
Group Doueh have been playing together for over 20 years. The band consists of their leader, Doueh on guitar and tinidit, his wife Halima on vocals and tbal, their son Jamal on organ, and longtime friend Bashiri also on vocals. They had declined several offers from Moroccan, French and Spanish recording labels to release their music. It was not until Sublime Frequencies, after a long search for the music landed them at the man's house in Dakhla, that Doueh agreed to have his music released for the very first time.
Roll up, roll up for uplifting good times with Akron/Family, a fine, fine rock'n'roll band. An ever-touring outfit who have developed a kaleidoscopic range of styles mixing honey-voiced ballads, crazed country, riff-a-delica, drumming circles, electric odysseys and pop songcraft into a potent and refreshing brew. Cosmic preachers, who lose all sense of inhibition and surrender to the moment. It is a big thing they do. They pound. They sing tender. They strip. They howl. Akron Family are one of the best live bands you'll see and are bristling with ideas and extraterrestrial fervour. They make you feel alive, inspired, warm and happy just to be.
New album 'Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free' kicks off a new chapter for the band. The percussive thunder and anthemic electric guitars make a bold statement, touching on everything from Fela Kuti to Sly and the Family Stone, there are timeless hooks delivered via Ali Farka Toure-like guitar work outs, punk rock action. Lush campfire songs and free jazz. Akron/Family’s musical explorations are virtually without.
Plus one of a kind Sublime Frequencies DJ set presentations featuring primarily retro 1960's and 1970's Hybrid-Pop Rock Folk Beat Yeh-Yeh Go-Go Freak Beat Psychedelic Surf and many indigenous styles from North Africa, The Middle East, South and Southeast Asia. All of the material played at these DJ sets will be unreleased archival music collected by the DJs themselves. So sit back, listen, dance, do as you will and let them saw your head off with the best music you've almost assuredly NEVER heard before! (DJs: Mark Gergis & Alan Bishop)
The Sublime Frequencies tour comes to Bristol with very special guests Akron/Family, who have a history of throwing a good party with Qu Junktions - so it's Syrian party bangers, incendiary African desert groove and American boiling point freak 'n' rock 'n' roll. Add to this DJ's from Sublime Frequencies (probably the ultimate crate digging, door opening, music gathering world explorers on the planet) and you have a Qu Funktion like no other. Worldwide and ready to go.
In short this night will bring disparate musics together, forging links, friendships and dances. All is go with Omar Souleyman's intoxicating Syrian wedding music (his tracks have been kick-starting many a dance party in Bristol over the past 18 months), Group Doueh's Western Saharan blues, Arabic grooves and over-ridden psychedelic guitars, plus celebratory sing along rock gospel from the heads up, beards down Akron/Family (one of Micheal Gira's favourite bands).
Omar Souleyman is a musical legend from Syria. For the past 15 years, he and his group have emerged as a staple of folk-pop throughout the country, having issued more than five-hundred studio and live-recorded cassette albums which are easily spotted in the shops of any Syrian city. Hailing from the rural north eastern city of Ras Al Ain, Souleyman began his musical career in 1994 with a small group of local collaborators that have been with him from the start. The group tirelessly performs concerts throughout Syria and has accepted invitations to perform abroad in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Lebanon.
The myriad musical traditions of the region are evident in their music, which reflect the sounds of Syria, Iraq, Turkey and the sizeable Kurdish population. The moods swing from coarse and urgent to dirgy and contemplative in the rugged anthems that comprise Souleyman's repertoire. Expect the ultimate party music. Omar's superb and varied vocal stylings feature over high-octane Syrian 'Dabke' (the regional folkloric dance music) and a host of other styles. Frantic Arabic keyboard solos provided by the incredible Rizan Sa'id intertwine with reeds, stringed instruments and percussion. Mahmoud Harbi, a long-time collaborator and the man responsible for much of the poetry sung by Souleyman accompanies Omar for an unforgettable onstage collaboration as they perform the Ataba, a traditional form of folk poetry, where Omar's unaccompanied freestyle 'mawal' singing stands in a league of its own.
This is a rare opportunity to glimpse into Syrian street-level folk-pop – a phenomenon seldom heard in the West in this form, and rarely, if ever, included on the import agenda of worldwide academic musical committees. Europe seems to have taken a shine to Omar Souleyman... weddings want him, Damon Albran plays him on Radio 1 and WMFU are big fans. Experience the genuine sounds of Syria and the Middle East without the condescending polish and shine of much exported 'world beat'.
Group Doueh are led by the enigmatic guitar hero Bamaar Salmou, who is known simply as 'Doueh' (pronounced: 'Doo-way'). They are from Dakhla, in the Western Sahara. The group's sound is unlike anything that you've ever heard before. It is a sound that is rooted in the traditional foundations of Sahrawi/Hassania music, but one that is also entirely its own. It shares its roots with the neighbouring styles of Mauritanian music, however Group Doueh have managed to transcend the classical limitations of that music with a fiery, independent, and avant approach that incorporates a distinctly pop and rock element that is anomalous in the region. This is a sound that can only come from the land that inspired it. This is the sound of the Sahara desert. It is a searing, meditative, and hypnotic modal sandstorm of note clusters that has been cathartic to anyone who has heard it.
Group Doueh have been playing together for over 20 years. The band consists of their leader, Doueh on guitar and tinidit, his wife Halima on vocals and tbal, their son Jamal on organ, and longtime friend Bashiri also on vocals. They had declined several offers from Moroccan, French and Spanish recording labels to release their music. It was not until Sublime Frequencies, after a long search for the music landed them at the man's house in Dakhla, that Doueh agreed to have his music released for the very first time.
Roll up, roll up for uplifting good times with Akron/Family, a fine, fine rock'n'roll band. An ever-touring outfit who have developed a kaleidoscopic range of styles mixing honey-voiced ballads, crazed country, riff-a-delica, drumming circles, electric odysseys and pop songcraft into a potent and refreshing brew. Cosmic preachers, who lose all sense of inhibition and surrender to the moment. It is a big thing they do. They pound. They sing tender. They strip. They howl. Akron Family are one of the best live bands you'll see and are bristling with ideas and extraterrestrial fervour. They make you feel alive, inspired, warm and happy just to be.
New album 'Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free' kicks off a new chapter for the band. The percussive thunder and anthemic electric guitars make a bold statement, touching on everything from Fela Kuti to Sly and the Family Stone, there are timeless hooks delivered via Ali Farka Toure-like guitar work outs, punk rock action. Lush campfire songs and free jazz. Akron/Family’s musical explorations are virtually without.
Plus one of a kind Sublime Frequencies DJ set presentations featuring primarily retro 1960's and 1970's Hybrid-Pop Rock Folk Beat Yeh-Yeh Go-Go Freak Beat Psychedelic Surf and many indigenous styles from North Africa, The Middle East, South and Southeast Asia. All of the material played at these DJ sets will be unreleased archival music collected by the DJs themselves. So sit back, listen, dance, do as you will and let them saw your head off with the best music you've almost assuredly NEVER heard before! (DJs: Mark Gergis & Alan Bishop)