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viewing 1 To 11 of 11 items
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Cassette
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NAWA 007CS
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Limited edition cassette edition of Nadah El Shazly's Ahwar, the debut album by the Cairo artist. "A perfect, soaring amalgamation of traditional Egyptian song with experimental takes on performance and instrumentation." --The Quietus
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LP
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NAWA 007X-LP
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2019 repress! Clear vinyl version. Nawa Recordings present Ahwar, the debut album by Nadah El Shazly. Starting out singing Misfits covers in a local punk band, then moving on to producing her own electronic tracks and making a name for herself in Cairo's underground scene, Nadah El Shazly's backstory is not that unusual. Her debut album on the other hand, is an entirely unexpected story. Two years in the making, Ahwar (Arabic for "marshlands") is an otherworldly record, not unlike an abstract mythological story-tale. Opening with the mangled and filtered vocals of "Afqid Adh-Dhakira (I Lose Memory)", like an alien dream, the drones of a bowed double bass lead the listener into a drum groove that lays the groundwork for El Shazly's sultry and captivating presence. The Arabic prose lingers over interjections of slap-back delayed guitar twangs and an avant-garde arrangement of dissonant winds, horns, and seemingly random drum fills, ending with an eerie soundscape that wouldn't feel out of place in a giallo classic. Composed, written, and produced by El Shazly herself in collaboration with The Dwarfs Of East Agouza's Maurice Louca and Sam Shalabi on co-composition and arrangement duties, the album was crafted across two continents, between Canada and Egypt, and features the crème of Montreal's contemporary-classical and improvised music scene, most of whom are members of Shalabi's own Land Of Kush ensemble. In between El Shazly's five original tracks, the listener is treated to an abstract conversion of Sayyid Darwish's classic "Ana 'Ishiqt (I Once Loved)". El Shazly's haunting vocal floats over broken kalimba and harp arpeggios which slowly intertwine with a free, bowed double bass improv to nestle within the breaks between Younes Al-Qadhi's early 20th century verses of love and betrayal. More than that, it is difficult to really describe, but imagine the worlds of Nico, Björk, and Annette Peacock with the Arabic language as their mother tongue, re-approached through acoustic avant-jazz harmony and re-constructed with a dash of Kamilya Jubran's modern styling of Arabic maqam and you may be somewhere close. Recorded and delicately mixed through miles of analog cabling by Thierry Amar and mastered by Harris Newman, the album is adorned with the surrealist artwork of Egyptian artist Marwan El-Gamal and designed with custom typography by Egyptian designer Valerie Arif. Includes booklet featuring the lyrics in Arabic and English.
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2CD
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NAWA 005CD
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The Dwarfs of East Agouza are a trio from Cairo featuring Maurice Louca (Alif, Bikya), Sam Shalabi (Land of Kush, Shalabi Effect) and Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls, The Invisible Hands, Alvarius B.). Born during 2012, the trio's instrumental improvisation-based explorations are propelled by Louca's North African percussion loops and shimmering keys, Shalabi's West African tinged free jazz guitar and grounded by Bishop's driving Krautrock-style acoustic bass. Following many a late night jam session, the band recorded hours of material during a three-day studio run in April 2014. After compiling and mixing the album in Montreal's Break Glass studio in July 2015, the refined result is Bes. From the lilt of the four-minute Ethiopian tinged "Resinance" to the 30-minute free-form epic "Museum of Stranglers", the album skirts the outer limits of a psychedelic soundtrack to a North African road trip.
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CD
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NAWA 004CD
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Nawa Recordings presents the worldwide release of Khyam Allami's original soundtrack to Leyla Bouzid's 2015 award-winning debut feature-length film À peine j'ouvre les yeux (As I Open My Eyes). With As I Open My Eyes, Bouzid (a winner of 16 international film awards at the time of this release) tells the story of 18-year-old Farah (played by Baya Medhaffar), who sings in an alternative rock band called Joujma, and her coming of age in pre-revolutionary Tunisia against the will of her mother Hayet (played by Tunisian songstress Ghalia Benali). The 14-track soundtrack of the film features original music composed, arranged, and produced by Khyam Allami for the fictional band created for the film, Joujma, alongside oud-based incidental music and Maurice Louca's "Benhayyi Al-Baghbaghan" ("Salute the Parrot"), the title-track from his 2014 album (NAWA 002CD/LP). Working closely from the early stages of casting and pre-production through to the final sound mixing of the film, Allami and Bouzid aimed to develop a new and youthful sound for the band, informed by Tunisian folk music such as the vocal-driven songs from the city of El Kef, and inspired by artists such as Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, and the female leads in bands such as Sonic Youth and Stereolab. The five-piece band of non-professional actors and musicians features Baya Medhaffar as Farah (vocals), Montasser Ayari as Borhene (oud), Deena Abdelwahed as Ines (keys and electronics), and the brothers Marwen Soltana as Sami (bass) and Youssef Soltana as Ska (drums). Teaching the band the songs by rote, Allami tried to keep a balance between their musicality and a natural yet amateur edge to their performance. The lyrics for the band's songs were written by Tunisian writer Ghassan Amami in colloquial Tunisian Arabic, based on the film's narrative and dramatic context. Allami used the lyrics as a catalyst for his composition, to heighten their latent symbolism alongside their social, cultural, and political referencing, while serving the dynamic trajectory of the film's plot. The songs in the film are performed live by the band, all of whom make their acting debuts. They were then recorded in a music studio in Tunisia to form the first part of this soundtrack album. Features artwork by Lebanese designer Jana Traboulsi and tri-lingual booklets with lyrics in Arabic, English, and French.
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CD
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NAWA 003CD
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Alif is the collective sound of five musicians at the forefront of independent music in the Arab world. Conceived in 2012 and taking its name from the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, Alif features Khyam Allami (oud), Tamer Abu Ghazaleh (vocals and buzuq), Bashar Farran (bass), Maurice Louca (keys and electronics), and Khaled Yassine (drums and percussion). Their self-produced debut, Aynama-Rtama (Wherever It Falls) is a reflection of its time and environment. Recorded between Beirut and Cairo in 2014, it is a shape-shifting album that twists and turns when one least expects it. Right from the lead track "Holako (Hulagu)" -- featuring a poem by late Iraqi poet Sargon Boulus (1944-2007) rendered into song for the first time -- the band immediately reveal their intention. Louca's gritty electronic percussion melds with Allami's rhythmic oud, and builds until the explosion of a driving rhythmic section, backing Abu Ghazaleh's frenzied buzuq, leads to a cinematic climax of soaring strings and raging drums. The startling synergy of these five musicians is retained throughout the album. A fiery sermon rages in "Al-Khutba Al-Akhira (The Last Declamation)" as the tumult of Yassine's acoustic percussion gives way to Louca's piercing synths, intertwining with Abu Ghazaleh's potent diction. From the melancholic beauty of "Dars Min Kama Sutra (A Lesson from Kama Sutra)" -- which features the tantalizing verses of renowned Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish (1942-2008) -- to the majestic and surreal album-closer "Eish Jabkum Hon? (What Brings You Here?)," penned by the band's own Tamer Abu Ghazaleh, each track bursts with rhythmic drive and fervor. The band's wide-ranging influences, along with their unified and intriguing energy, give birth to a soundscape that is at once familiar and unknown. Mixed by Ali Chant of Toybox Studios, Bristol, UK (PJ Harvey, Rokia Traoré, Yann Tiersen, Gruff Rhys, John Parish) and mastered by John Dent of Loud Mastering, UK (Bob Marley, Nick Drake, Yann Tiersen, Massive Attack, Nick Cave), Aynama-Rtama traces a complex labyrinth of genres, sounds, and emotions, rendered as a unique postcard of the tumultuous rollercoaster-ride of its time. The album is adorned in artwork featuring a painting by Syrian-Lebanese visual artist Semaan Khawam. His colorful, surreal paintings, combined with original typography by Egyptian designer Salma Shamel, perfectly complement the complexities latent in Alif's music and lyrics. All editions also feature Nariman Youssef's English translations of the poems and lyrics.
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LP
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NAWA 003LP
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2016 repress; LP version. Pressed on 140-gram vinyl. Alif is the collective sound of five musicians at the forefront of independent music in the Arab world. Conceived in 2012 and taking its name from the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, Alif features Khyam Allami (oud), Tamer Abu Ghazaleh (vocals and buzuq), Bashar Farran (bass), Maurice Louca (keys and electronics), and Khaled Yassine (drums and percussion). Their self-produced debut, Aynama-Rtama (Wherever It Falls) is a reflection of its time and environment. Recorded between Beirut and Cairo in 2014, it is a shape-shifting album that twists and turns when one least expects it. Right from the lead track "Holako (Hulagu)" -- featuring a poem by late Iraqi poet Sargon Boulus (1944-2007) rendered into song for the first time -- the band immediately reveal their intention. Louca's gritty electronic percussion melds with Allami's rhythmic oud, and builds until the explosion of a driving rhythmic section, backing Abu Ghazaleh's frenzied buzuq, leads to a cinematic climax of soaring strings and raging drums. The startling synergy of these five musicians is retained throughout the album. A fiery sermon rages in "Al-Khutba Al-Akhira (The Last Declamation)" as the tumult of Yassine's acoustic percussion gives way to Louca's piercing synths, intertwining with Abu Ghazaleh's potent diction. From the melancholic beauty of "Dars Min Kama Sutra (A Lesson from Kama Sutra)" -- which features the tantalizing verses of renowned Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish (1942-2008) -- to the majestic and surreal album-closer "Eish Jabkum Hon? (What Brings You Here?)," penned by the band's own Tamer Abu Ghazaleh, each track bursts with rhythmic drive and fervor. The band's wide-ranging influences, along with their unified and intriguing energy, give birth to a soundscape that is at once familiar and unknown. Mixed by Ali Chant of Toybox Studios, Bristol, UK (PJ Harvey, Rokia Traoré, Yann Tiersen, Gruff Rhys, John Parish) and mastered by John Dent of Loud Mastering, UK (Bob Marley, Nick Drake, Yann Tiersen, Massive Attack, Nick Cave), Aynama-Rtama traces a complex labyrinth of genres, sounds, and emotions, rendered as a unique postcard of the tumultuous rollercoaster-ride of its time. The album is adorned in artwork featuring a painting by Syrian-Lebanese visual artist Semaan Khawam. His colorful, surreal paintings, combined with original typography by Egyptian designer Salma Shamel, perfectly complement the complexities latent in Alif's music and lyrics. All editions also feature Nariman Youssef's English translations of the poems and lyrics.
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LP
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NAWA 003X-LP
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Red vinyl LP version. Pressed on 140-gram vinyl. Limited to 200 copies.
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LP
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NAWA 002LP
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140 gram black vinyl LP version with download code. Salute the Parrot signals a departure for Maurice Louca from his first solo album Garraya -- in which he composed electronic music unaccompanied -- into the realms of acoustic orchestrations, both composed and improvised. Featuring guest performances by Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls, Alvarius B.), Sam Shalabi (Land Of Kush, Shalabi Effect), Tamer Abu Ghazaleh (Alif), Khaled Yassine (Anouar Brahem/Alif) and vocals by Egyptian Mahraganat MCs Amr 7a7a and Alaa 50, to name a few. Those who may have heard live iterations of Salute the Parrot at Louca's jaw-dropping shows across the Arab world and Europe over the last couple of years, will encounter a much more complex and hard-hitting work of many influences. From psychedelic to Egyptian Shaabi, Louca shatters the confines of musical and cultural labeling with a work that is truly unique. The album's new live and acoustic elements, coupled with limited pre-recorded material, present ample space for improvisation and fluidity within its composition. Its eight tracks offer a unique record of this new vision, and prepare the ground for future live performances of Salute the Parrot, which will never sound totally the same. For the design of the album artwork, Louca collaborated with Egyptian visual artist Maha Maamoun, whose videos and photographs address the form and function of images that are found in mainstream culture, to act as a lens through which familiar images are seen in novel and insightful ways. Salute the Parrot's artwork aptly conveys the abstract and microcosmic character of Louca's sound in three subtle variations, one for each of the album's formats.
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CD
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NAWA 002CD
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Salute the Parrot signals a departure for Maurice Louca from his first solo album Garraya -- in which he composed electronic music unaccompanied -- into the realms of acoustic orchestrations, both composed and improvised. Featuring guest performances by Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls, Alvarius B.), Sam Shalabi (Land Of Kush, Shalabi Effect), Tamer Abu Ghazaleh (Alif), Khaled Yassine (Anouar Brahem/Alif) and vocals by Egyptian Mahraganat MCs Amr 7a7a and Alaa 50, to name a few. Those who may have heard live iterations of Salute the Parrot at Louca's jaw-dropping shows across the Arab world and Europe over the last couple of years, will encounter a much more complex and hard-hitting work of many influences. From psychedelic to Egyptian Shaabi, Louca shatters the confines of musical and cultural labeling with a work that is truly unique. The album's new live and acoustic elements, coupled with limited pre-recorded material, present ample space for improvisation and fluidity within its composition. Its eight tracks offer a unique record of this new vision, and prepare the ground for future live performances of Salute the Parrot, which will never sound totally the same. For the design of the album artwork, Louca collaborated with Egyptian visual artist Maha Maamoun, whose videos and photographs address the form and function of images that are found in mainstream culture, to act as a lens through which familiar images are seen in novel and insightful ways. Salute the Parrot's artwork aptly conveys the abstract and microcosmic character of Louca's sound in three subtle variations, one for each of the album's formats.
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LP
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NAWA 002X-LP
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140 gram green vinyl LP version.
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CD/DVD
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NAWA 001CD
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It's not often that you stumble on a musician at the start of his career whose biography is as intriguing as Khyam Allami's. Since taking up the oud (Middle Eastern lute) in 2004, he has already generated a "palpable buzz" about him and "left a trail of unforgettable live performances in his wake" according to the UK's fRoots Magazine who recently put him on their cover. Whether at small independent venues, Birmingham's alternative/experimental Supersonic festival, WOMAD or the BBC Proms in London's Royal Albert Hall, Khyam always enchants with the lucid beauty of his music. His debut solo oud album, Resonance/Dissonance (released on his own label Nawa Recordings), is a rare and ambitious effort. It is a double-disc featuring a solo studio recording on the CD and a live performance of the entire album on the DVD. Musically, it is based on the concept of maqam (the modal system of Middle Eastern music), seemingly stark and simple yet overtly complex. Unusual approaches to the maqams combine with original, highly structured and detailed "composed-improvisations." Recurring themes and melodic shapes render a cohesive narrative, accented by sensitive dynamics and rhythmic outbursts using unusual rhythmic cycles, all of which intertwine around complete compositions and a dark rendition of the traditional Iraqi maqam nawa. Mystical in its lucidity and abstract in its poetry, Resonance/Dissonance is unique, soulful, beautiful, dark, heavy and hopeful all at once. A truly boundary-crossing musical work for fans of Middle Eastern, classical, progressive, jazz, improvised, world and avant-garde. DVD: PAL format; Region free; 52 minutes; Stereo; DVD tracklisting -- same as the CD; Color.
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