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This is a classic techno album. The beat is extremely constant and very
much electronically driven. Riq and doumbek and present, in some songs
more than others, but this is overwhelmingly an electronic album. Fewer
breaks than might be hoped, though the breaks are excellently done. A very
dark, serious tone. Great choice of songs, and great electronic adaptations.
Overall: Great
Danceability: Moderate
Drum use: Not significant
Nice shifts, excellent use of doumbek and riq – clearly a highly skilled player, and the album highlights his skills. Good slow parts,
fast parts have energy, and there are frequent shifts. I used track 2 in my routine for awhile. This album captures the fusion
between modern techno and accordion and fiddle driven classical Egyptian, with an extremely skilled drummer to boot. The sound
is technically adept but not really “cool” – it’s not dark enough for drama and it’s got a little camp factor.
Overall: Good
Danceability: Excellent
Drum use: Great
Highly recommended as a sampling of Arabian pop and techno. Contains many must-haves, amoung
them a techno Maawood, Lirrili, Kiss Kiss recorded live in Moscow, and my favorite techno Alf Leyla.
In fact, every single track stands up quite well in terms of danceability and general catchiness.
Overall: Excellent
Danceability: Excellent
Drum use: Not significant
I will confess at the outset that I took a drum workshop with Karim Naagi, and he is extremly serious
about his craft, quite personable, and a charming young man. This bears mentioning because somehow
these qualities are reflected in his music. The technical execution on the doumbek (tabla) solos is clean
and accomplished. The techno element is strong, and the overall feel is of a tightly controlled, intense
rhythmic journey. Consider that this same artist also plays the sole percussion, riq, on a cd of live
Egyptian classical music. And yet, there is considerable popular appeal in this cd. Track 3, Dulab Rast,
seems to crop up frequently amongst american belly dancers, as does tack 5, Turbo Tabla 3. The album
is emminently danceable for those dancers who desire an intense, serious, almost ominous feeling.
Personally – and this is personal - I prefer “Turbo Tabla” (which contains my favorite techno aziza), and
the classical Egyptian album Concerts – Arabic and Pan-Eastern Music Live.
Overall: Great
Danceability: Great
Drum use: Great
This is urban, somewhat grunged techno: fun, high octane, but rhythmically and compositionally simple.
My favorite tracks are Vuslat, a techno-remixed qanun piece, and Azize, here rendered in bare-bones,
fast-pitched, rough around the edges and center techno form. Brief cowbell, conga, and clave parts
reveal an imitation-Latin infusion. Riq, ululations, qanun, brief keyboard and occasional Arabic vocals
are the entire Arabic components of several tracks. A very formulaic doumbek pattern underlies one
track, “Boda”. All but stripped of its Arabic roots, this album remains fun, if not particularly compelling.
Overall: Moderate
Danceability: Fusion only
Drum Use: Not
Dark, serious, electronic techno. Riq is prominent; doumbek, nei, keyboard, oud, and qanun
occasionally claim the spotlight. Traditional rhythms such as maqsum, malfuf, masmoudi, and ciftetelli
appear, in some tracks as riffs or afterthoughts but in others as the main pulse. Hits and transitions are
strong. The popular qanun/drum set mix “Move Your Belly” (Sindebad) is included as track 6; a techno
Daret Alayan is excellent. The heavy percussion, driving electronics, and strong traditional elements
make this a fine Arabic techno compilation.
Overall: Great
Danceability: Excellent
Drum Use: Moderate
A classic of Arabic techno. There is a lot of doumbek, riq, and deff, though they are sometimes buried
in the mix. A simple electronic pulse dominates, but with fairly strong maqsum, ayuub, etc provided by
the traditional instruments. Shifts and accents are present but a bit far apart in the songs, which are
fairly long. With regard to individual songs, One Thousand & One Nights (Alf Leyla Wa Leyla) is quite
good; Leilat Hob contains brief snippets of Leylet Hob as well as a famous drum solo. “Sandstorm
(Sinbad)” seems to be increasingly popular amoung dancers, particularly for sword routines. Doumbek
and riq are occasionally given solo riffs, but this album is much more for dancers than drummers.
Overall: Great
Danceability: Good
Drum use: Minimal
A classic techno album. Dramatic pieces, mainly driven by a constant techno pulse but with frequent
breaks. Breaks are often filled by riq (soft and loud positions) or doumbek, sometimes with accordion,
qanun, and/or deff. “Zayyil Hawa” (with mizmar accents and doumbek riffs) made it to my regular
nightclub routine for awhile. “Nawoom” (Mawood) has an extended violin taksim followed by brief
doumbek solo. The sound is serious, heavy on the low end, and full. Highly recommended for dancers.
Overall: Good
Danceability: Great
Drum use: Minimal (some great riq)
A varied but high quality album. “Enta Omri”, is well-done but at eight minutes long a bit stretched. “El Toba”
is fantastic, dramatic and compelling despite its somewhat boring beat. “Amal Hayati” shifts from darkly
intense to friendly keyboard part. “Ahwak” is beautifully done, simultaneously joyful and sad, though the
melody does get a bit repetitive after eight and a half solid minutes. Note the commonality: well-done, but
wearisome in their length. Each track has a constant pulse, sometimes backed by riq or melodic rhythms, with
periodic stops and shifts of feeling. The constancy of the pulse is the main problem for Raks Sharki dancers,
though it does promote club dancing.
Overall: Good
Danceability: Minimal
Drum use: Not significant
If you can handle a fair bit of cheesiness (and most cabaret dancers have to), this is a phenomenal
album. Electronic melodic compositions are backed by high-powered percussion. Anka plays doumbek,
frame drum, riq, and on a few tracks djembe with great skill. Several tracks (“Aawalem”, “Foulla”,
“Power”) are quite well set-up for Raks Sharki, others (“Vocarythm”, “Varialatino”) are intended as
listening-only drum solos. One track (“Power”) made it to my regular nightclub routine for a good while.
Overall: Good
Danceability: Moderate (variable)
Drum use: Great
