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'Broadcast One' - Dandelion Radio's 1st compilation album

NEWS:
We have 28 hours across 12 shows for October including, possibly, the last from Mark Cunliffe for a long time. Plus - it is already 20 years since John Peel died and we have some reminders.

Artist Info

Omar Souleyman

Omar Souleyman
Image from Discogs
Powered by Audioscrobbler™Omar Souleyman (عمر سليمان) is a Syrian musical legend. Since 1994 he and his musicians emerged as a staple of folk-pop throughout Syria, but until being released by the Sublime Frequencies label they were little known outside of the country. To date, they have issued more than five-hundred studio- and live-recorded cassette albums which are easily spotted in the shops of any Syrian city.

Born in rural Northeastern Syria, he began his musical career in 1994 with a small group of local collaborators that remain with him today. The myriad musical traditions of the region are evident in their music. Here, classical Arabic mawal-style vocalization gives way to high-octane Syrian Dabke (the regional folkloric dance and party music), Iraqi Choubi and a host of Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish styles, among others. This amalgamation is truly the sound of Syria. The music often has an overdriven sound consisting of phase-shifted Arabic keyboard solos and frantic rhythms. At breakneck speeds, these shrill Syrian electronics play out like forbidden morse-code, but the moods swing from coarse and urgent to dirgy and contemplative in the rugged anthems that comprise Souleyman's repertoire. Oud, reeds, baglama saz, accompanying vocals and percussion fill out the sound from track to track. Mahmoud Harbi is a long-time collaborator and the man responsible for much of the poetry sung by Souleyman. Together, they commonly perform the Ataba, a traditional form of folk poetry used in Dabke. On stage, Harbi chain smokes cigarettes while standing shoulder to shoulder with Souleyman, periodically leaning over to whisper the material into his ear. Acting as a conduit, Souleyman struts into the audience with urgency, vocalizing the prose in song before returning for the next verse. Souleyman’s first hit in Syria was "Jani" (1996) which gained cassette-kiosk infamy and brought him recognition throughout the country. Over the years, his popularity has risen steadily and the group tirelessly performs concerts throughout Syria and has accepted invitations to perform abroad in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Lebanon. Omar Souleyman is a man of hospitality and striking integrity who describes his style as his own and prides himself on not being an imitator or a sell-out.
Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Artist biography from last.fm

Upcoming gigs:

Fri 8 Nov 2024

Omar Souleyman: Omar Souleyman, Gent, Belgium

Concerts by BandsInTown
RSVP

Sat 9 Nov 2024

Omar Souleyman: Omar Souleyman, Charleroi, Belgium

Concerts by BandsInTown
RSVP

Wed 11 Dec 2024

Omar Souleyman: Omar Souleyman, Barcelona, Spain

Concerts by BandsInTown
RSVP

Thu 12 Dec 2024

Omar Souleyman: Dabadaba, Donostia-san Sebastián, Spain

Concerts by BandsInTown
RSVP

Wed 18 Dec 2024

Omar Souleyman: Omar Souleyman, Nijmegen, Netherlands

Concerts by BandsInTown
RSVP





Some other places to look for information:
last.fm
Discogs
MusicBrainz