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LP
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WWSLP 103LP
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$31.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 1/24/2025
Wewantsounds presents the release of Al-Qasar's new album, Uncovered, a side-project from the group featuring covers from the Western and Arabic repertoires, as well as new originals composed by the group. The album was recorded in Europe and Africa and features guest appearances by Alsarah, Mamani Keita, Cheick Tidiane Seck, and Sami Galbi. Al-Qasar's new album keeps exploring diverse sounds from around the world. One says there's nothing like the original. But when the psychedelic collective tackles such a Depeche Mode classic as "Personal Jesus," you know you're in for a brain-melting, transcontinental journey. The lyrics are in Turkish, and the song's iconic riffs are played on electric saz. The cast is mouth-watering, with studio wizard Thomas Attar producing, playing guitar and saz and Turkish artist Sibel on vocals. "Promises," the second single, is an Afro-futuristic heavy-psych track sung in Bambara which features Malian singer Mamani Keita (who played with Salif Keita) on vocals and the revered "Black Buddah," Cheick Tidiane Seck (Gorillaz, Black Eyed Peas, Santana) on keyboards and backing vocals. On drums you've got Souleymane Ibrahim (from the Tuareg group Mdou Moctar) who unleashes a powerful beat. The rest of the album is sizzling and features Swiss-Morrocan Rai rising star Sami Galbi, Sudanese singer Alsarah, Tunisian virtuoso oud player Nada Mahmoud and Sufi singer Mariam Hamrouni. Produced by Thomas Attar who also plays guitars and synths, Uncovered has been recorded between Tunis, Lisbon, Bamako and Paris and is enhanced by Matt Hyde's warm and massive mix which will enthrall all the group's fans.
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LP
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GB 130LP
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LP version. Middle Eastern psych-rock collective Al-Qasar's debut album is an explosive mix of heavy Arabian grooves, global psychedelia, and North African trance music. The band calls it "Arabian fuzz." Brazenly electric and deeply connected. When continents collide, they make a thunderous sound. Al-Qasar create the soundtrack to that fission on their full-length debut, Who Are We? The musicians came together, from France, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, and the United States. Shows followed, first in France, then in Europe and the Middle East. They put out an EP, the widely-lauded Miraj, recorded in Cairo. Work on Who Are We? began in December 2020, with Attar Bellier composing eight tracks that writhe and roar in skillfully controlled chaos. Bass, drums and traditional percussion create a deep, irresistible groove for the foundation, while electric saz and guitars build a wailing wall above, with Moroccan vocalist Jaouad El Garouge's ecstatic voice, steeped in his Gnawa upbringing, pulling inspiration from history as it strides into the future. Drawing on years of experience working in Los Angeles studios, Attar Bellier produced the album. Who Are We? translates the sound that inhabited his head into something physical that stirs spirit, heart and feet. The Dead Kennedys' Jello Biafra was a natural addition to "Ya Malak," his inimitable voice reciting a translation of Egyptian revolutionary poet Ahmed Fouad Negm, elevating the record's social critique while showcasing the first-ever English recording of Negm's work. Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth layers textured, brooding guitar over the first two cuts, "Awtar Al Sharq" and "Awal." The sweeping drones embrace the Moroccan bendir groove to magical results. Hend Elrawy, the acclaimed Egyptian singer whom the band met in Cairo, brings her powerful voice to "Mal Wa Jamal", whose Arabic lyrics promote a female-centric and humbling outlook on prostitution and its consequences. Like the other songs on the album, its social consciousness is carefully veiled in images. "Hobek Tawrat," for instance, can be taken as a love song, with its seductive, ringing opening on the electric saz that leads up to the aching voice of New York-based Sudanese innovator Alsarah (Alsarah & The Nubatones). One of the band's great coups is the track "Barbès Barbès," an ode and homage to the neighborhood in Paris where Al-Qasar first came together. The iconic Mehdi Haddab (Speed Caravan) added his oud virtuosity to the track. Who Are We? is a deep, exhilarating album. Its intensity never wavers, music that pulls from the hypnotic roots of North African trance and threads it into a fabric with the elaborate beauty of Arabic scales and the shock and thrill of rock'n'roll. Mixed by Alain Johannes (Queens of the Stone Age, PJ Harvey). Mastered by Grammy-winner Dave Collins.
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CD
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GB 130CD
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Middle Eastern psych-rock collective Al-Qasar's debut album is an explosive mix of heavy Arabian grooves, global psychedelia, and North African trance music. The band calls it "Arabian fuzz." Brazenly electric and deeply connected. When continents collide, they make a thunderous sound. Al-Qasar create the soundtrack to that fission on their full-length debut, Who Are We? The musicians came together, from France, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, and the United States. Shows followed, first in France, then in Europe and the Middle East. They put out an EP, the widely-lauded Miraj, recorded in Cairo. Work on Who Are We? began in December 2020, with Attar Bellier composing eight tracks that writhe and roar in skillfully controlled chaos. Bass, drums and traditional percussion create a deep, irresistible groove for the foundation, while electric saz and guitars build a wailing wall above, with Moroccan vocalist Jaouad El Garouge's ecstatic voice, steeped in his Gnawa upbringing, pulling inspiration from history as it strides into the future. Drawing on years of experience working in Los Angeles studios, Attar Bellier produced the album. Who Are We? translates the sound that inhabited his head into something physical that stirs spirit, heart and feet. The Dead Kennedys' Jello Biafra was a natural addition to "Ya Malak," his inimitable voice reciting a translation of Egyptian revolutionary poet Ahmed Fouad Negm, elevating the record's social critique while showcasing the first-ever English recording of Negm's work. Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth layers textured, brooding guitar over the first two cuts, "Awtar Al Sharq" and "Awal." The sweeping drones embrace the Moroccan bendir groove to magical results. Hend Elrawy, the acclaimed Egyptian singer whom the band met in Cairo, brings her powerful voice to "Mal Wa Jamal", whose Arabic lyrics promote a female-centric and humbling outlook on prostitution and its consequences. Like the other songs on the album, its social consciousness is carefully veiled in images. "Hobek Tawrat," for instance, can be taken as a love song, with its seductive, ringing opening on the electric saz that leads up to the aching voice of New York-based Sudanese innovator Alsarah (Alsarah & The Nubatones). One of the band's great coups is the track "Barbès Barbès," an ode and homage to the neighborhood in Paris where Al-Qasar first came together. The iconic Mehdi Haddab (Speed Caravan) added his oud virtuosity to the track. Who Are We? is a deep, exhilarating album. Its intensity never wavers, music that pulls from the hypnotic roots of North African trance and threads it into a fabric with the elaborate beauty of Arabic scales and the shock and thrill of rock'n'roll. Mixed by Alain Johannes (Queens of the Stone Age, PJ Harvey). Mastered by Grammy-winner Dave Collins.
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