PRICE:
$15.50
IN STOCK
ARTIST
TITLE
Eilat 22/Elifelet 23
FORMAT
7"

LABEL
CATALOG #
BTR 077EP BTR 077EP
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
8/18/2023

Sababa 5, Tel Aviv's funkiest export, upgrade their signature Middle Eastern psychedelic funk with the addition of Hoodna Orchestra's dynamic brass section, another essential 45 from Batov Records' Middle Eastern Groove series. Sababa 5 have created a modern sound, fusing funk, disco, and psychedelic rock with a wide range of Middle Eastern influences, culminating in last year's acclaimed self-titled debut album, named after their new studio address on the border of Jaffa and Tel Aviv, "Eilat 22" and "Elifelet 23" spring from the same sessions that delivered Funk #1/Funk #2 45 (BTR 076EP). Sababa 5's tight-as-ever instrumental grooves are enriched by the bright bass sounds of The Hoodna Orchestra brass section, comprising Bar Ashkenazi on trumpet, Eylon Tushiner on tenor, and Elad Gelert on baritone saxophone. Hoodna are renowned for their energetic take on Afrobeat, and have been touring and recording recently with Ethio jazz legend Mulatu Astatke, and here they supply a touch of JB's meets Africa '70 energy. On "Eilat 22" the Sababa 5 rhythm section of Raz Man on drums and Amir Sadot on bass is in full funk force, supporting a vibrant hook from the Hoodna brass section, leaving room for solos from guitarist Ilan Smilan and synth mage Eitan Drabkin, full of Middle Eastern flavor. On the flip "Eiffelet 23" grooves along like a Dap Kings funk nugget, except in this case there's room for Eitan to improvise across the jam with a microtonal organ sound reminiscent of legendary Egyptian musician Magdi elHusseini.