October Add of the Month: Habibi Funk 007: An eclectic selection of music from the Arab world

Parker Doti, KCSB’s Music Director, dives into this eclectic funk compilation for October’s Add of the Month. 

Words by: Parker Doti

Photo courtesy: Habibi Funk Bandcamp

 

Every week, Maya and I dig through KCSB’s extensive library of physical media to find interesting and unique CDs and records to play on Dispatches from the Library, the music department’s radio show airing every Tuesday. The station’s archive of music goes deep, one may think they’ve seen everything there is after passing over it once, but as I return every week to pick out a new selection of albums I find myself picking out CD after CD, absorbing each description written by volunteers/former Music Directors and analyzing each little insert. With the constant influx of new music, it can be very refreshing to dive deep into past adds and give the music many skim over a chance. 

 

This was the case with this Habibi Funk compilation, prior to that week’s show I hadn’t ever heard of the album or label. The CD’s design initially drew me in, a retro black and white photograph on the cover accompanied by bright orange text reading “Habibi Funk: an eclectic selection of music from the Arab world”. The volunteer review on it is fairly recent compared to other CDs in the library, dating to September 23rd, 2022, and recommends the listener check out the booklet inside for “some fascinating bios”. 

 

  

 

Habibi Funk is a Berlin-based label dedicated to re-releasing songs and albums from North Africa and the Middle East that fuse regional influences with those from other countries. Founded by DJ Jannis Stuertz, he makes it clear that this compilation is in no way supposed to be a comprehensive look at popular Arabic music from the 70s/80s, and is meant to be a collection of songs he finds to be the most interesting. Each song on the compilation was licensed from the artist or artist’s family, except for a couple which were licensed from the label it was originally released on. Stuertz specifies in the booklet that all the profits produced from this album, as well as all Habibi Funk releases, are split fairly with the original musicians. 

 

The compilation starts off with Fadoul’s Bsslama Hbibti, an incredibly minimalist and raw composition from Morocco. The track features a driving drum beat accompanied by a steady guitar rhythm, with a wicked solo about halfway through. Stuertz describes Fadoul as “funky yet dirty and played with a real punk attitude”, his Arabic cover of James Brown’s Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag is what inspired the creation of Habibi Funk. 

 

 

 

Bob Destiny delivers the second track, Wang Dang. An African-American singer and performer from New Orleans, he spent a lot of time in Algeria during the 70s and released a couple records there. Despite not being from the Middle East or North Africa, Bob Destiny was included on this compilation for his contributions to the musical scene there and how he combined his music tastes with the local influences. It’s an incredibly explosive and in-your-face song. Bob Destiny doesn’t restrain himself vocally, which pairs beautifully with the poor recording quality on the rest of the instruments (particularly the horns and percussion). 

 

 

The official title of the third track is not known as it was found on a reel in the Boussiphone archives, marked only with the words “Faraj Allah”. The song was eventually pinned to the group Attarazat Addahabia, a family band from Morocco that has gone through many generations. The female vocals and the sudden stops and starts of the percussion make this a very interesting listen. Mirza, the following track, opens with a triumphant shout jumps into a captivating mixture of funk and surf rock. The Golden Hands’ lead vocalist’s growl is elevated by the fuzz of the recording, giving it a super cool feel. Argos Farfesh stays in the same funky lane as the previous tracks, just with more horns. Sharhabeel Ahmed is the mastermind behind this song, pioneering the genre of Sudanese Jazz which was influenced by many global jazz and funk icons. 

 

Casablanca Shuffle by Belbao is a stand-out favorite of mine, his vocal delivery is outstanding. Belbao transitions back and forth from a more reserved delivery to fully belting out. The track is a version of Vigon’s Harlem Shuffle, a fellow Moroccan. 

 

 

 

Mallek Mohamed’s Rouhi Ya Hafifdi and Freh Khodja’s La Coladera come next. Both are Algerian tunes featuring quick rhythms and complimentary horns. The CD’s booklet mentions Mohamed and Khodja’s friendship, which was a sweet little note. 

 

Al Asafir by Kamala Keila is a fascinating track, he’s been described as the “James Brown of Sudan”. The blending of Ethiopian Jazz into this Sudanese Jazz song is very captivating, the mixture of local genres is beautiful to hear. The guitars on this song are gorgeous, leaving us off with a stellar solo complimented by the trumpet.

 

 

 

Hamid El Shaeri’s Ayonha and Ahmed Malek’s Bossa are both incredibly lush and warm, the recording quality is much cleaner that what’s heard on the previous songs. Ayonha is funkier with gorgeous vocals, and Bossa goes a bossa nova route not heard previously on the compilation. 

 

Games by Samir & Abboud, Sah by Al Massrieen, and Lala Tibki by Gharbi Sadok & Georges Garzia all take on a poppier disco sound. The compilation leaves off with Soul Brother by Dalton, an incredible closer. A hauntingly beautiful Tunisian song, the vocals really shine through on this track. 

 

I strongly recommend anyone looking for something refreshing and different to give this album a listen, as well as the other awesome records on the Habibi Funk label. KCSB’s music library has so many amazing CDs, digging through it is definitely worth it. Tune into Dispatches from the Library (airing Tuesdays at 4pm during the Fall) to hear some more cool finds the music department digs up every week.