{"title":"Habibi Funk","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHabibi Funk is a German label dedicated to showcasing the vibrant and diverse music from north Africa and the Near and Middle East. Founded by Jannis Stürtz and Malte Kraus, the label has become known for its authoritative curation of rare and obscure gems from these regions. With a focus on preserving cultural heritage while also introducing new audiences to these captivating sounds, Habibi Funk Records offers a unique musical journey that transcends borders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs an influential force in the music industry, Habibi Funk has gained recognition for its meticulous selection of artists and albums. The label's commitment to quality is evident in their releases, which span various genres such as funk, soul, disco, jazz, and traditional folk music. By bridging the gap between past and present, Habibi Funk invites listeners to explore rich musical traditions while embracing contemporary influences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt is important not to confuse Habibi Funk with the artist Jannis' moniker\/alias [a8580660]. While both share a passion for music exploration, Habibi Funk Records stands as an independent entity focused solely on curating exceptional sounds from north Africa and the Near and Middle East. With their distinctive approach to showcasing hidden treasures, this label continues to captivate music enthusiasts worldwide.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-father-of-lybian-reggae","title":"The Father Of Lybian Reggae","description":"\u003cp\u003eHabibi Funk is digging deep to present the songs of Ibrahim Hesnawi, otherwise known as \"The Father of Libyan Reggae.\" Kingston meets Tripoli in this incendiary collection of Arabized roots, dub, dancehall and more. Featured on Habibi Funk's last compilation (HABIBI015) with his track \"Tendme,\" Hesnawi crafts restless funk with evident buttressing from a reggae foundation. Highlighted across the LP is how Hesnawi essentially pioneered such an effortless synthesis between traditional Libyan music and Jamaican reggae stylings, plus the endlessly disparate funk, jazz, and disco accents which firmly situate Hesnawi in a league of his own. LP out everywhere October 6th.\nSome years ago, we started a Facebook group named after our label \"Habibi Funk\" with the idea to create a space where everyone could share music they felt fit under this umbrella, one way or another. One day a Greek member, Thanasis Moutsopoulos, shared a photo of a vinyl record he found at the Monastiraki flea market in Athens, Greece. It was by a Libyan artist named Ibrahim Hesnawi and called \"Hesnawi And Peace.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt this point we had never heard of the artist and Thanasis was nice enough to record the album for us. We were immediately electrified by what we heard: A whole album full of classic reggae with some light touches of funk and disco here and there which Hesnawi had recorded in Italy more than 4 decades prior. We eventually decided we would love to learn more about reggae in Libya, and a mutual friend introduced us to Ahmed Abujazia, who was born and still living in Tripolis; through a shared appreciation of music, he agreed to help us work on the project. We asked around and eventually managed to get Ibrahim Hesnawi's telephone number. A few weeks later, Ahmed met Ibrahim in person and proposed our project. Hesnawi was happy to work on a rerelease of his music with us. Excited to share the story of his musical career, Hesnawi was apt to point us towards songs he felt like would be a great match for the tracks we had already expressed interest in. All of this happened in 2018, which was also when the licensing agreement was signed. It has taken us 5 years to actually bring the project to the world, mainly because of the challenge of finding tapes in good enough quality to release. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSadly, Ibrahim Hesnawi lost his studio reel tapes at some point and the digital files he had of his music were of poor quality. So, we spend years trying to find every Hesnawi tape we could get our hands on in order to find a copy that would suffice in terms of sound quality to be used as a source for remastering. Eventually, we had 5-6 copies of some albums, just to identify the ones that sounded the best. We've finally been able to find enough songs in great sound quality that has allowed us to create a selection that both we and Ibrahim were happy with. Now, we're able to share the story of the father of reggae in Libya with the sound quality his work deserves. In many countries, reggae was a widespread fad before its popularity gradually subsided. In Libya, however, the genre remained popular since its initial introduction in the late 1970s. Reggae's thematic throughlines like references to Pan-Africanism, liberation, and the end of oppression and exploitation resonated—and continues to resonate—forcefully amongst a Libyan audience. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo this day, you will find countless bands playing variations of the genre as are there Facebook groups with predominantly Libyan members sharing old and new reggae tracks with ten-thousands of members. And no matter who you ask, chances are high that the genre's popularity in Libya will be largely attributed to one man: Ibrahim Hesnawi. Born and raised in Tripolis, the capital of Libya, Hesnawi was not initially interested in music. However, he credits Bob Marley, the universal face of the reggae genre, with changing his mind. Bob Marley was the artist that brought Reggae to Libya. And the two disparate musical cultures—Jamaican and Libyan—weren't so far apart. On the contrary: local musicians intertwined these influences quite fluidly. Libyan reggae borrows elements from its own culture, and is usually accompanied by a steady marching tempo, a significant hallmark of wedding chants. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn effortless synthesis of Jamaican reggae and traditional Libyan sonics is featured throughout Hesnawi's catalogue. What better example of this audio amalgam than the LP's powerhouse lead single \"Never Understand\" which brings a roots and dancehall flavor into conversation with North African and Middle Eastern musical rhythms and Jamaican stylings. With warm keys, a thick, bouncing bass and English lyrics to boot, the track sounds like a missing Bob Marley cut. Fiery funk tracks \"Tendme\" (featured on HF015) and second single \"Watery Al Kabir\" bring a tireless groove to the record via chugging rhythms and key interludes that deliver searing harmonic motifs. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFocus track \"Only World\" grounds the LP, placing an emphasis on its anthemic lyricism and subtle, yet slick guitar licks and synth runs that make Libya seem like the \"only world\" where Reggae continues to stand strong. As always, both vinyl and CD come with an extensive booklet featuring background and interviews with Hesnawi, including unseen photos, scans and more.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50394368573771,"sku":"2054963","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50394368278859,"sku":"2054972","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_44dea09b_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726437678"},{"product_id":"east-of-any-place-2","title":"East Of Any Place","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eEast of Any Place\u003c\/i\u003e is a treasure trove of songs discovered alongside Rogér Fakhr's acclaimed 2021 album,\u003ci\u003e Fine Anyway\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese tracks, hidden for decades and only passed between a handful of people, offer a glimpse into Rogér's musical genius and the vibrant scene of Lebanon during a period marked by civil war and social upheaval. This release serves as a companion to \u003ci\u003eFine Anyway\u003c\/i\u003e, feat studio tracks that didn't make it into the previous album.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAround 2 years ago, we released an album by Rogér Fakhr entitled \u003ci\u003eFine Anyway\u003c\/i\u003e on Habibi Funk. It came about as a result of afternoons spent at Issam Hajali's jewellery shop on Mar Elias Street in Beirut. We had started working on the idea of re-releasing some of Issam's music and he proposed his first album \u003ci\u003eMouasalat Ila Jacad El Ard\u003c\/i\u003e, recorded before starting his band Ferkat Al Ard. At some point, Issam mentioned how he had actually kept some of Rogér's music on tape in his basement - but cautioned that he couldn't play it to us before Rogér would give the green light. Eventually, after some hesitation, Rogér luckily did. During this time there were a number of ongoing projects and we somehow missed out on inquiring further. Yet Rogér's name kept on coming up in conversations with musicians of the same generation in Beirut. No matter whether it was Ziad Rahbani, Munir Khauli or anyone else talking about him, every single mention would almost inevitably be followed with a huge praise for his music and approval of his talent. The disparity between him being so highly appreciated amongst his peers, while somehow simultaneously not being part of the researchable musical history of Lebanon (at least to us!) of the last decades, baffled me and at some point, we just asked Issam for Rogér's contact. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter, we exchanged some emails and he ended up sending a selection of music recorded in the late 1970's in Beirut. While some of that material had never seen a release, other songs were released on his album \u003ci\u003eFine Anyway\u003c\/i\u003e - which Rogér had, at the time of release, hand copied around 200 cassette copies. When we first heard the songs of \u003ci\u003eFine Anyway \u003c\/i\u003ewe were blown away! The music was a mixture of folk with touches of other genres. Maybe one could also refer to it as \"singer-songwriter,\" since all of the songs were Rogér's own compositions. Songs of unique beauty both musically and lyrically. At the same time, they gave us the feeling of them being somehow isolated capsules of time and space. Nothing really revealed where they could've been recorded and, not knowing it was Beirut, a first guess would have likely been Southern California, sometime in the 1970's. The immersive effect of his compositions and voice are just incredible. When we put the album out, we knew we loved the songs and the music, but with its sound being slightly different and the lyrics sung in English, we were not sure whether it would find the same appreciation that other releases had had under the umbrella of Habibi Funk. Luckily, the appreciation of the album became quite apparent very quickly and it did not die down in the years to follow. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the process of putting together \u003ci\u003eFine Anyway\u003c\/i\u003e we came across a number of other songs Rogér had recorded around the same time. Initially Rogér was not too fond of them for one reason or another, though in our minds the musical quality was not the reason. It was a treasure trove of songs that only a handful of people had access to. Some time ago, Rogér started working on some new songs that will hopefully will turn into a new album, and while we spoke about these, we brought up all these other songs we still had from the same sessions as \u003ci\u003eFine Anywa\u003c\/i\u003ey, and that we felt it would be great to share them with the world as a bonus to the songs already shared as part of \u003ci\u003eFine Anyway\u003c\/i\u003e. Luckily, Rogér eventually agreed, and this is how we are able to share \u003ci\u003eEast of Any Place\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs always, both vinyl and CD come with an extensive booklet featuring background and interviews with Rogér, including unseen photos, scans and more.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50398030037323,"sku":"2170762","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50398029283659,"sku":"2170743","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_c8ab2017_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726493406"},{"product_id":"modern-music-1","title":"Modern Music","description":"\u003cp\u003eAl Massrieen: Disco, Funk and modernized Arabic Pop from Egypt. In the beginning of Habibi Funk, our search was focussed on vinyl records. Around a year ago though, we got to the point where we realized that it became substantially harder to discover music, that we enjoyed and hadn't heard before. It became apparent that it was time to start looking for other formats. Cassette tapes were the obvious alternative. These were introduced in the arabic world around the late 1970s. In some countries they took over a bit earlier, in others a bit later, but eventually they pushed the vinyl format out of the market in the 1980s. In Egypt this trend already even started in the late 1970s. Al Massrieen was one of the first bands I learned about once I discovered the tape format for myself. They were really popular in Egypt in the 1970s and the more of their music I found on either tapes or Arabic pirate mp3 sites, the more I was becoming a fan. Only very few bands from the region can match the band's versatility as well as their strive for innovation. Hany Shenoda is the man behind the Al Massrieen band. He is a reknown figure of the Egyptian music scene and has worked with everyone from Abdel Halim Hafez to Mohamed Mounir. Al Massrieen was his attempt to introduce his ideas of modernizing Egyptian music, heavily encouraged by Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt's only winner of the Nobel Price for literature) after discussing his ideas with him. Al Massrieen's sound goes from lush disco like \"Sah\" to psych rock like \"Horreya\" or incredible jazz fused pop on songs such as \"Edba Mn Gded\". I was shocked to realize the band seemed to be hardly known outside Egypt, even though I feel they're at least on the same level as Ahmed Fakroun. An relative obscurity which I largely attribute to the fact that their releases never have been pressed on vinyl (apart from a Greece best of LP which wasn't a strong compilation of the group's songs). One way or another it felt like this band and especially their composer, band leader and overall brain Hany Shenoda was in need to get some recognition outside of Egypt. The release is fully licensed from the band and comes with an extensive booklet with liner notes, interviews and unseen photos.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50417232380235,"sku":"1010966","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50417232314699,"sku":"1010965","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2e185dd9-6162-408c-ab4c-f324dec8d88e_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726722676"},{"product_id":"muslims-and-christians","title":"Muslims And Christians","description":"\u003cp\u003eSongs about the unity of Sudan, peace between Muslims and Christians, and the fate of war orphans, backed by grooves equally taking influence from Arabic sounds, American funk, as well as neighboring Ethiopia. \u003cstrong\u003eKamal Keila\u003c\/strong\u003e was among the first artists we met in Sudan during our two trips to Khartoum and Omdurman last year. He is one of the key figures of the Sudanese jazz scene that was a vital part of the musical culture in Sudan from the mid 1960s until the Islamist revolution in the late 1980s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen we met Kamal, he luckily presented us with two mold-covered studio reels. Each tape included five tracks, one with English lyrics and another with Arabic ones. Musically, you can hear the influence of neighboring Ethiopia much more than on other Sudanese recordings of the time, as well as references to Fela and American funk and soul. His lyrics, at least when he sings in English which gave him more freedom from censorship, are very political. A brave statement in the political climate of Sudan of the last decades, preaching for the unity of Sudan, peace between Muslims and Christians, and singing the blues about the fate of war orphans called \"\u003cem\u003eShmasha\u003c\/em\u003e\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA note inside one of the boxes specified the track titles, durations, and the fact that the sessions were recorded on the 12th of August 1992. Both sessions stand as a hearable testament to how Kamal Keila stuck to a sound aesthetic from decades ago while incorporating current events into his lyrics. Kamal Keila's album is the first in a series of releases covering the Sudanese jazz scene on Habibi Funk. 2LP + Download Code + 8 Page Booklet.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50417232707915,"sku":"1040522","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50417232871755,"sku":"1040523","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/95308269-16b6-4860-b1dd-2ff68a4bdf31_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726722711"},{"product_id":"the-electronic-tapes","title":"The Electronic Tapes","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the early 1980s, Ahmed Malek was already in his 50s , when he discovered synthesizers and electronic music for himself and started to experiment with sounds. The result was a mixture of ambient synth music, field recordings he made in Cuba and a wide variation of different sound experiments that he also presented as different avanguarde music festivals in Cuba and the US. None of it was ever released but we got a huge box of master tapes from his family and we're happy to present this different side of Ahmed Malek's music. It was compiled and co-produced by Flako, a fan of early electronic and synth music. This is not a remix album though, Flako's aim was to create an album out of 2 hours of material that sounds like it might have if Mr. Malek would have finished it himself before of his death. Fully approved and licensed from the artists family. The album comes with an informative booklet with liner notes, an interview with Flako regarding his approach towards the production and unseen photos. We will also release a third album by Ahmed Malek which will be more in the vein again of the music he is known for and this album will also be previously unreleased.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50417346969931,"sku":"1007408","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50417347232075,"sku":"1007409","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/cover.ki_1f92f75b_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726726962"},{"product_id":"free-music-part-1","title":"Free Music (Part 1)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBlisteringly groovy\u003c\/em\u003e collection of completely off-the-radar songs by Libyan composer \/ producer \u003cstrong\u003eNajib Alhoush's\u003c\/strong\u003e group \u003cem\u003eThe Free Music\u003c\/em\u003e, circa 1976. Releasing an astonishing 10 albums, all impressively strong and equally infused by soul, funk, disco, and reggae, \u003cem\u003eThe Free Music\u003c\/em\u003e created a distinctly infectious groove that unfortunately didn't make an impact outside of Libya due to the complex political situation at the time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere is a reason it says \"Part 1\" in the title. Out via \u003cem\u003eHabibi Funk\u003c\/em\u003e March 17th. Avid \u003cem\u003eHabibi Funk\u003c\/em\u003e listeners may be familiar with Libyan composer \/ producer \u003cstrong\u003eNajib Alhoush\u003c\/strong\u003e, who's track \"Ya Aen Daly\" - the Bee Gee's \"Stayin Alive\" cover - was included in our second compilation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the original track never excited us, Najib's version managed to strip it from its pop approach that had taken over disco during the genre's peak. At that time, disco tracks mostly were aiming to appeal to the widest audience possible. Najib had turned the original track into something different and very unique.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUpon further research, we found that Najib was actually the singer and founder of \u003cem\u003eThe Free Music\u003c\/em\u003e band alongside Fakhreddin, Salim Jibreel, Abdulrazzak 'Kit-Kat', Mukhtar Wanis, and Mohameed Al Rakibi. Initially, we only licensed Najib Alhoush's \"Ya Aen Daly\" from Yousef Alhoush, Najib's son, who was pleased to hear that there was interest in his father's music from someone abroad.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the process of exchanging and learning about Najib's music and career, our understanding was that \u003cem\u003eThe Free Music\u003c\/em\u003e only recorded the one album. This couldn't be further from the truth; in fact, there were ten albums produced by the group, all impressively coherent with a clear influence from disco, soul, funk, and reggae.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe lead-off single is the stupendously groovy \"Ana Qalbi Ehtar\" out February 3rd along with LP pre-order to capitalize on Bandcamp Friday. Second single, out February 17th is the disco slammer \"Hawelt Nensa Ghalaak.\" Third single is \"Mathasebnish,\" out March 3rd, a pure disco-funk slammer if there ever was one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlbum focus track \"Men Awel Marra\" is another standout disco-infused tune, showcasing the immense creativity out of Najib and \u003cem\u003eThe Free Music\u003c\/em\u003e. As always, both vinyl and CD come with an extensive booklet featuring background on \u003cem\u003eThe Free Music\u003c\/em\u003e and Najib Alhoush, including words from Najib's son, Yousef, as well as unseen photos, cassettes, and more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFacebook: \u003ca href=\"www.facebook.com\/habibifunk\"\u003ewww.facebook.com\/habibifunk\u003c\/a\u003e Instagram: \u003ca href=\"www.instagram.com\/habibifunk\"\u003ewww.instagram.com\/habibifunk\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50417373348171,"sku":"2014700","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50417373643083,"sku":"2014703","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_0306c0dc_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726727763"},{"product_id":"alech","title":"Alech","description":"\u003cp\u003eCarthago: Rare Tunisian Disco Including Unreleased Instrumentals And Eight Page Booklet. When we first decided to start Habibi Funk, a label dedicated to re-releasing \"funky\" Arabic music from the 1960s to 1980s, a band called Dalton was the first release we worked on. Dalton was a band from the Tunisian capital of Tunis and they played a unique mix of soul \u0026amp; funk with an Arabic DNA. We licensed the release from the band's composer Fawzi Chekili, and when we spoke to him on the phone in preparation of the release he mentioned another band he was part of, called Carthago. Our work with Habibi Funk is like a big treasure hunt. There are too many great bands that fully vanished into obscurity and didn't leave any traces in the digital sphere yet. We are so used to the internet providing all informations we might be looking for, but Carthago was one of those bands where the internet largely failed to provide any infos despite the fact that Carthago created some incredible music in the form of an highly infectious Tunisian take on disco music. Luckily most of the members of the 1970s musical scene of Tunis are still around to tell their story. Carthago was founded in the late 1970s as a fusion of Dalton and a second band called Marhaba Band. Both bands frequently played at hotels and night clubs in Tunis and Sousse. They had similar musical influences and despite the fact that they were competition for the most part, they came up with the idea to join forces for a new band. Musically Carthago kept on walking on the musical path of Dalton and Marhaba but incorporated disco music, a new style that was making its way to North Africa from Europe and North America. The band had quite some success on local radio and played a number of big shows with thousands of people showing up. The band's concerts were a mixture of their own compositions as well as cover versions of the hits of the time from Stevie Wonder to Chicago. At the end of the 70s they went to Paris to record their only, self titled album. For our reissue we picked out two of our favorite tracks: \"Hanen\" and the outstanding disco version of the Dalton track \"Alech\" which has proved to work on every dance floor we played over the last two years. When I came to Tunis for the first time after the Dalton reissue I met Fawzi in person. He still lives in Tunis and still works as a full time musician though his focus has shifted more towards Jazz over the years. Luckily he did not only keep a spotless copy of the Carthago album but he also kept the master tape of the instrumental versions of the album which to this day were unreleased. Being able to add exclusive content to a reissue is something that is rare and we feel highly privileged to be able to do so. Futher more we are so happy that we will be able to add something new to the bands legacy not only musically but also visually: One day I realized that most of the releases from Tunisia I liked, be it from Dalton, Carthago or Marhaba Band had the same photographer credit. Hassen Turki started taking photos at a young age and when he was 18 he started going to the gigs of the bands of the time that were playing in the Marhaba Hotel which was managed by his father at the time. He became friends with the bands and ended up being the person to be asked when it came to shooting the photos for the covers of the records. After some research I managed to get in touch with Hassen and met him in his hometown Sousse. Luckily he kept most of the negatives of the photos he took so we're more than happy to be able to share these unseen photos with whoever is interested.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F291309313\u0026amp;show_artwork=true\u0026amp;color=f2667e\u0026amp;buying=false\u0026amp;theme_color=232323\u0026amp;font=Helvetica+Neue\u0026amp;show_user=false\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"12\" - Black","offer_id":50417373970763,"sku":"1003341","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/3acf2e83-1baf-47e9-9b6d-bc8f4984e700_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726727786"},{"product_id":"jazz-jazz-jazz","title":"Jazz, Jazz, Jazz","description":"\u003cp\u003eI heard about \u003cstrong\u003eSeif Abu Bakr and The Scorpions\u003c\/strong\u003e maybe 3-4 years ago. Their album \u003cem\u003eJazz, Jazz Jazz\u003c\/em\u003e ended up on my radar because of an eBay auction with the bids eventually rising daily up to a staggering 1000$. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe music is a unique combination of incredible horn arrangements powerfully performed, a vigorous drummer contributing a funky backbone and Seif's vocals uniting those elements. The results range from instrumental tracks awaking memories of 1970s crime thriller soundtracks to more Sudanese-rooted tracks, a lot of them modernized versions traditional rhythms of the diverse regions of Sudan and even an excursion into Colgolese Soukouss.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe re-release was produced with a clean copy of the vinyl version as a source. The original reel tape of the album stayed with Saif Abu Bakr along with another reel with other recordings that were never released. Unfortunately it was lost when Saif Abu Bakr had to flee to Kuwait temporarily during the second gulf war when Iraq raided Kuwait.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBoth the CD and vinyl version come with extensive booklets with photos, interviews, liner notes. The vinyl version also has a DL code.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50417374986571,"sku":"1050686","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50417374789963,"sku":"1050687","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/8a2601d1-fbba-451b-b370-635999150932_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726727824"},{"product_id":"musique-original-de-films-volume-deux-2","title":"Musique Original De Films, Volume Deux","description":"\u003cp\u003eHabibi Funk is thrilled to share a second collection of deep grooves and unreleased songs from Algeria's Ahmed Malek, often compared to Italian heavyweight Ennio Morricone. Malek's music effortlessly switches between thematic jazz, funk, reggae and Algerian folk – creating indelible soundscapes that intersect the musical innovations made in African jazz by Mulatu Astatke, Bembeya Jazz National along with some of Europe's finest experimental composers like Piero Piccioni and Janko Nilovic. As always, both vinyl and CD come with an extensive booklet featuring background and interviews with Ahmed compiled through found newspaper clippings and newsreels, also including unseen photos, scans and more.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50433648034123,"sku":"2200249","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50433647542603,"sku":"2200246","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_b359681a_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726881660"},{"product_id":"mouasalat-ila-jacad-el-ard","title":"Mouasalat Ila Jacad El Ard","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIssam Hajali\u003c\/strong\u003e is most known as the singer and composer of the Lebanese band Ferkat Al Ard. While they recorded 3 albums, only their classic \u003cem\u003eOghneya\u003c\/em\u003e saw a vinyl release and is highly sought after in the Lebanese record collector scene (a copy changed hands in Beirut this year for 5000 USD).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBefore the band came together, he recorded this debut album in Paris in 1977. This rare album fuses jazz and folk with Arabic and Iranian influences into unique beauty. It was only released in a limited run of 75 cassette tapes and is now officially licensed and reissued by Berlin-based Habibi Funk Records.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50435820421451,"sku":"1081502","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50435822223691,"sku":"1081478","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/55bb8502-246a-4599-9fbe-0a669c0926cf_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726908332"},{"product_id":"habibi-funk-an-eclectic-selection","title":"Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection From The Arab World","description":"\u003cp\u003eHabibi Funk is dedicated to re-releasing a style of music that historically never existed as a musical genre. We use the term to describe a certain sound that we like from the countries of the Arab world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe songs we chose were created in places quite far from one another and under very different circumstances. Some were written and recorded during war times, others in exile. Despite the differences we think there is a musical connection between them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEssentially, we are interested in the musical endeavors, in which artists from the Arab world mixed local and regional influences with musical interests that came from outside of the region.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEven though the name suggests it's all about funk music, our focus is more than just that. Often these influences might be inspired from Western popular music such as soul, pop, and rock but it's not limited to that either.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSome of our favorite records are best described as Arabic zouk (a genre originating from the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe) like \u003cem\u003eMallek Mohamed\u003c\/em\u003e's music, Algerian coladera (a popular musical style from the Cape Verdean islands) or Lebanese AOR.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe compilation features 15 different artists. Some you might already know thru Habibi Funk's releases like \u003cstrong\u003eFadoul\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eAhmed Malek\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eDalton\u003c\/strong\u003e or \u003cstrong\u003eAl Massrieen\u003c\/strong\u003e, while others are meant as an introduction to artists like \u003cstrong\u003eKamal Keila\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eSharhabeel Ahmed\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eAttarazat Addahabia\u003c\/strong\u003e \u0026amp; \u003cstrong\u003eMallek Mohamed\u003c\/strong\u003e who will all release full-length albums on Habibi Funk in 2018.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn today's world there are still many stereotypical conceptions to be found when it comes to the Arab world. Contrary to what a lot of Western narratives and media suggest, the Arab world we got to know through extensive traveling in several countries of North Africa and the Middle East, is a very versatile terrain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA place full of different stories, ideas, and beliefs. And we hope that the music we release helps as a tiny, tiny piece of a larger puzzle to establish a diverse, more nuanced yet adequate idea of how musically vibrant this very diverse region once has been and also still is.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt the same time we do not want anyone to misunderstand this compilation as a selection of songs to represent Arabic musical history of the 1970s and 1980s. This compilation is nothing more than a very personal curation of songs we like and in no way reflects on what has been popular in a general sense.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAll tracks on this compilation are directly licensed from the artist or, in the case of artists who are sadly no longer alive, from the artist's family. There are three exceptions: \u003cem\u003eHamid Al Shaeri\u003c\/em\u003e's track was licensed from SLAM! and the tracks from Belbao and \u003cstrong\u003eAttarazat Addahabia\u003c\/strong\u003e were both licensed from Boussiphone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs a European label dealing with non-western artists we try to be aware of the responsibilities that derive within the making, seen from a post-colonial point of view by demanding ourselves not to reproduce exploitative economic patterns.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe split all of the profits from our releases equally with the artists without deducting any costs that are not directly related to the release. Our agreements are license deals with limited terms after which the rights fall back to the artist or the artist's families.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe think it is important in today's reissue market, where too many shady business transactions happen, to be transparent about our licensing policies. The CD version comes with a 24-page booklet with liner notes, infos about all artist and releases. The double vinyl will have a 12-page booklet in 12\" size with the same content.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"2LP - Black","offer_id":50436072079691,"sku":"1024619","price":34.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50436070768971,"sku":"1024620","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Habibi_Funk_An_Eclectic_Selection_of_Music_from_the_Arab_World_Habibi_Funk_0.jpg?v=1726911771"},{"product_id":"al-zman-saib","title":"Al Zman Saib","description":"\u003cp\u003e8 tracks of raw Arabic funk music, none of these have ever been reissued before. So far Fadoul (or Fadaul, or Faddoul, the transcribtion of his name to latin letters differs)\u0026amp; his music had not been rediscovered, as a matter of fact most of those songs still left no trace whatsoever in the world wide web. It took us 2 years and countless trips to Morocco to find the artists family to license the release from them. Vinyl and CD edition come with liner notes, unseen live photos and lyrics translations.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"There was one record in particular that caught my attention. It was by a band called \"Fadaul et les Privileges\" and mentioned James Brown in the writing credits of the song \"Sid Redad\" on the a-side. Needless to say my expectations were high. The first time I heard the record I was blown away. A cover of James Brown's \"Papa got a brand new bag\" sung in arabic and backed by a rawly recorded three piece band. It's hard to describe the music without having listened to it, but as time went by I somehow ended up summarizing it as Arabic funk played with a punk attitude. A description, that I feel, comes fairly close. Soon I became obsessed by the record but nobody seemed to know anything about the vinyl or the artists, even google didn't help. A true gem forgotten about through the passages of time. I kept on traveling to Morocco trying to find infos about the artists, which did not end up being fruitful during the first couple of trips. What kept me going was the fact that over the course of the next years I kept on finding different records by Fadoul, in the end a total of four. They all had the raw sound aesthetic of \"Sid Redad\". Energetic performances, a mighty voice and a very lively atmosphere that was preserved in the recordings.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Sid Redad\" has gotten plays on BBC, Radio Nova and more, our Habibi Funk mixes habe been featured by The Guardian, Radio Nova, Waxpoetics, okayplayer.com, konbini.fr and many more.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Is that Arabic? Very FUXXXING COOL!!\" DJ Nu-Mark (Jurassic 5)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50456265294155,"sku":"2201287","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Al_Zman_Saib_Habibi_Funk_002_4587308a_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727197308"},{"product_id":"the-king-of-sudanese-jazz","title":"The King Of Sudanese Jazz","description":"\u003cp\u003eHabibi with their 13th release and it is from Sharhabil Ahmed, the actual King of Sudanese Jazz (he actually won that title in a competition in the early 1970s). Sonically it sounds very different from what Jazz is understood to sound like outside of Sudan. It's an incredible unique mix of rock'n'roll, funk, surf, traditional sudanese music and influences from Congolese sounds. Original copies of Sharhabil recordings are often hard to find, so great they will now be widely available. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSharhabil was born in 1935 and he is the founding father of the Sudanese Jazz scene. His aim was to modernize Sudanese music by bringing it together with western influences and instrumentation like he summarized it himself in a 2004 interview for \"Al Ahram Weekly\": \"[...]Haqiba music, you know, was traditional vocal music with little accompaniment beyond a tambourine. When our generation came in the 1960s, we came with a new style. It was a time of worldwide revolution in music. In Europe, the rhythms of swing and tango were being replaced by jazz, samba, rock- and-roll. We were influenced by this rejuvenation in Sudan, too. I started out by learning to play the oud and traditional Sudanese music, and got a diploma from the music institute of Khartoum University. But my ambition was to develop something new. For this, the guitar seemed like the best instrument. Western instruments can approximate the scales of Sudanese music very well. After all, a lot of Western music is originally from Africa. I have absorbed different influences, from traditional Sudanese rhythms to calypso and jazz, and I hold them together in my music with no difficulty.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe release comes with a booklet including liner notes, interview and unseen photos (12 pages vinyl, 24 pages CD). Fully licensed from the artist.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50458521338187,"sku":"1094003","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50458525172043,"sku":"1094002","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/600ca8cb-d5bc-4009-82f7-d40a07c447f8_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727211661"},{"product_id":"oghneya","title":"Oghneya","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn absolutely legendary album from Lebanon by \u003cstrong\u003eIssam Hajali\u003c\/strong\u003e's group \u003cem\u003eFerkat Al Ard\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eOghneya\u003c\/em\u003e stands out as one of the great musical gems of the Arab world. A groundbreaking release from 1978 that represents the meeting point of Arab, jazz, folk, and Brazilian styles with the talent of \u003cstrong\u003eZiad Rahbani\u003c\/strong\u003e, who did the album's arrangements.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFilled with a variety of sounds and genres, from baroque pop to psych-folk to flashes of bossa nova, tropicalia, and MPB, \u003cem\u003eOghneya\u003c\/em\u003e is like if \u003cstrong\u003eArthur Verocai\u003c\/strong\u003e took a trip to Beirut in the 70's to record an album.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2015, we heard \u003cem\u003eFerkat Al Ard\u003c\/em\u003e's music for the first time, a Lebanese trio compromised of \u003cstrong\u003eIssam Hajali\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eToufic Farroukh\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eElia Saba\u003c\/strong\u003e. It was a stunningly unique release that blends traditional Arabic elements, jazz, and Brazilian rhythms hand in hand with poetic-yet-politically engaged lyrics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe band was active in the left-wing movement of Lebanon at the time and they communicated their political ideas candidly through their songwriting. In our mind, the idea was to see whether \u003cstrong\u003eIssam\u003c\/strong\u003e was interested in re-releasing \u003cem\u003eOghneya\u003c\/em\u003e. He was not opposed to it, but also made it clear that it was not his priority for a first project. He suggested we start with his first album, before \u003cem\u003eFerkat Al Ard\u003c\/em\u003e was formed, \u003cem\u003eMouasalat Ila Jacad El Ard\u003c\/em\u003e, which was recorded in 1977 in Paris together with his friend \u003cstrong\u003eRoger Fakhr\u003c\/strong\u003e (whose work we have been privileged to re-release in the meantime as well.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMouasalat Ila Jacad El Ard\u003c\/em\u003e is melancholic, stripped-down, guitar-based folk intertwined with jazz-fused breaks, and the unique sound of the santour glistens through. While the music is very accessible, some song structures are rather atypical, neglecting common patterns of verse, hook, verse, hook. The lyrics mostly trace back to the poetic work of Palestinian author \u003cstrong\u003eSamih El Kasem\u003c\/strong\u003e, with one song also written by \u003cstrong\u003eIssam\u003c\/strong\u003e, who composed the music for the whole album.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP  Black","offer_id":50458823426379,"sku":"1157628","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50458824343883,"sku":"1157629","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/f2f448da-0fee-413f-9dde-42a46ce18c2c_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727214337"},{"product_id":"orkos","title":"Orkos","description":"\u003cp\u003eCompletely unknown album by Salah Ragab's Cairo Jazz Band vocalist Maha, recorded in Cairo in 1979. Features productions by Hany Shenoda of Al Massrieen. Maha's \u003ci\u003eOrkos\u003c\/i\u003e, originally released on cassette, is one of these standout musical diamonds that combines Jazz and Egyptian vocal traditions with Funk, Latin and Soul. Out via Habibi Funk October 10th.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMaha's \u003ci\u003eOrkos\u003c\/i\u003e immediately catches your ear as a unique album. A strong and energetic voice, equally grounded in jazz as well as Egyptian vocal traditions, Maha sings over instrumentals that offer a wide palette of influences, sonically emblematic of the cultural changes that were occurring in the country. The album features rich compositions and productions by renown Egyptian musician Hany Shenoda, who's group, Al Massrieen, Habibi Funk worked with in 2017 (the release led to sync placements in Hulu's \u003ci\u003eRamy\u003c\/i\u003e TV Series).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the time of its release, however, the \u003ci\u003eOrkos\u003c\/i\u003e cassette quickly faded away among the growing number of releases populating the Egyptian musical soundscape. For more than 40 years, it sat in near obscurity before being given new life in the form of a properly licensed vinyl release. Habibi Funk and Disco Arabesquo are honored to play a part in sharing Maha's story. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50463841616203,"sku":"1167237","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50463840043339,"sku":"1167240","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/73894b37-f7d4-4ab9-b831-4328f5caa2cb_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727267205"},{"product_id":"musique-original-de-films-2","title":"Musique Original De Films","description":"\u003cp\u003eAhmed Malek was one of the most important musicians of the Algerian scene of the 1970s. His sountrack works that were composed for various Algerian movies of the time fuse Arabic influences with jazz, psych and funk influences. Dark cineastic soundscapes meet african Jazz at times reminicent of Mulatu. Original copies of his vinyl releases have been sold for enormous amounts. For this release we combined the strongest tracks from his releases with a selection of unreleased material straight from the families archive. The vinyl edition comes with a 8 page 12\" size booklet, the cd version with a 16 page booklet with lot of unseen photos, an interview with the artist from 1978 and an introduction to Algerian cinema.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntroduction: I still remember the first time I heard Ahmed Malek. It was 2012. Back then I didn't know much about Arabic music, but I was about to leave Berlin for a couple of weeks to go to Tunisia. I was working as a project manager for a music recoding session which ended up being released by Jakarta Records as the \"Sawtuha\" release. I knew I would have some time off during my stay and I was certain that I would dedicate some of this time to diggin. I askesome people whether they knew of any titles that I should look for. Roskow, who also ended up re-mastering this release, told me about an Algerian composer called Ahmed Malek whose music was also released in Tunisia.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFast forward three years: Arabic records have become my number one hobby and luckily I got my hands on a copy of Ahmed Malek's \"Musique Originale De Films\" album. I already knew some of the tracks but listening to the music the way it was originally released, and not as a crappy Youtube version, made me fall in love with Malek's compositions all the more. It manages to create this very special mood: melancholic and reflective, emotional and touching, but never depressing. Even without having seen any of the pictures created for this, it immediately brings visuals to one's imagination. Around that time I became captivated with the idea of reissuing some of Ahmed Malek's music. I knew some people had tried to locate his family but, but with no success. In the end it was an incredible amount of luck that made it possible for you to read these words and listen to this record. I had a DJ gig in Beirut playing old Arabic records and I mentioned my passion for Ahmed Malek's music to a friend. She said she knew one person in Algier, and as much as it would be a shot in the dark, she could ask her if she had an idea of how to find Malek's family. Two weeks went by before I heard back, and what I got was incredibly good news. Her Algerian friend was the neighbor of Ahmed Malek's daughter! I'm not a spiritual person, but it felt like the universe wanted to see this release happen.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50466313601355,"sku":"2001528","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50466313371979,"sku":"2001527","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/cover.ki_17_3d042971_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727311464"},{"product_id":"habibi-funk-an-eclectic-selection-from-the-arab-world-part-2","title":"Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection From The Arab World (Part 2)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis compilation of songs is not meant as a historic reflection of popular music of the \"Arab world.\" It is a very personal selection of songs we grew to like at Habibi Funk. It is music that historically never existed as a unified musical genre. We think it's important to make this distinction and to have the listener understand that the majority of the music on this compilation does not come from the highly famous names of the musical spectrum of North Africa and the Middle East. Instead, the final body compiled for this record consists of some – at least for us – nichey pearls and often overlooked artists; resulting in a diverse range of styles from Egyptian organ funk, disco sounds from Morocco, an example of the lively reggae scene of Libya, political songs from Lebanon, soundtrack music from Alge- ria, a musical union between Kenya and Oman, and much more.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis compilation offers a much wider range of music than just funk influenced sounds. Sure, it brings back Fadoul, who we have already dedicated a full length album to. He was the mystical Moroccan singer who - influenced by the sounds of James Brown- created his own musical vision full of energy but also still very intimate. Another artist we have featured before is Ahmed Malek, the grand Algerian soundtrack composer, whose music is largely connected by a distinct feeling of melancholic beauty or Hamid Al Shaeri, the Egyptian hit producer whose track \"Ayonha\" was probably the most widely appre-ciated track off our first compilation. But we have also learned that this format of a compilation can serve as a medium to introduce artists to our audience, who we are planning to dedicate full length releases to in the near future, such as Ibrahim Hesnawi. Hesnawi is the father of reggae music in Libya - a genre still widely popular in Libya - and whose presence in the country is commonly connected to the rhyth- mic similarities of reggae with some form of Libyan folkloric music. Nahib Alhoush is another Libyan artist, whose musical output we will spotlight in the near future. In the 1970s, he was the co-founder of Free Music, one of the first Libyan bands introducing western influences into their music. After the band stopped performing together he started an at least equally successful solo career under his own name. When I got into Arabic music around five or six years ago, I knew pretty much nothing about it. Realistically, I still know very, very little about it and I'm by no means an expert. I just had the opportunity to visit the region frequently, trying to learn about music I might like. Most of the bands, I happen to enjoy, were fairly obscure and therefore a lot of the music on this compilation seems to be largely forgotten. After sharing many of the old records and tapes online through mixes, I have realized that there is a huge disparity between the interest in the music on the one hand and its availability on the other.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"2LP - Black","offer_id":50478489141579,"sku":"1124634","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50478488879435,"sku":"1124633","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/e7d7dc3a-5c2d-4f69-ba17-07a1edac4080_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727485197"},{"product_id":"marzipan","title":"Marzipan","description":"\u003cp\u003eHabibi Funk is excited to share \u003cem\u003eMarzipan\u003c\/em\u003e - their first full-length contemporary release courtesy of Beirut's multi-instrumental phenom \u003cstrong\u003eCharif Megarbane\u003c\/strong\u003e, also known as the man behind prolific Cosmic Analog Ensemble.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe LP is a journey into Charif's styling, one he terms \"Lebrary\": a vision of Lebanon + Mediterranean expressed through the kaleidoscopic sonics of library music. Drawing from artists that encapsulate the HF sound, such as Ziad Rahbani, Ahmed Malek, and Issam Hajali, Charif translates these influences into an LP that is equally at home in '23.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50482475434315,"sku":"2029003","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50482476351819,"sku":"2029004","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Marzipan_Habibi_Funk_023_Bonus_Edition_c2f45683_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727552644"},{"product_id":"al-hadaoui","title":"Al Hadaoui","description":"\u003cp\u003eHabibi Funk is back with another album from Casablanca. Completely unreleased album which was recorded in Morocco in 1973 by three generation family band. A unique blend of Gnawa, Funk and Rock. Traditional Moroccan music meets electronic guitars and dense layers of percussion by a band that used to run in the same circles as Fadoul (And actually wrote one of his songs). \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAttarazat Addahabia \u0026amp; Faradjallah's album came to us as quite a mystery. Our friends from Radio Martiko got access to the studio archive of the Boussiphone label and a reel labeled \"Faradjallah\" was among the items they had found there. After listening to the selection of reels they borrowed, Radio Martiko felt it was not a fit for their label and helped us licensing it from Mr. Boussiphone instead. We knew nothing about the band. We just had the reel with the music but very little information. What we knew was that the music was incredible and very unique. Gnawa sounds were combined with funky electronic guitars, very dense layers of percussions and female backing vocals more reminiscent of musical styles further south than Morocco. We started asking around whether anyone knew the band with no immediate success until we asked Tony Day, a musician from Morocco who helped us during our search for Fadoul's family. His sharp memory came through once again, remembering all the names of the Attarazat Addahabia band members and even how to contact the bands singer and leader Abdelakabir Faradjallah. After visiting him at his home in Casablanca with our Moroccan colleague Sabrina multiple times, he shared his personal story. His father arrived in Casablanca from Aqqa at the age of six and his mother came from Essaouira. Abdelakabir was born in the neighbourhood of Benjdia in 1942. Abdelakabir Faradjallah studied fine arts in Casablanca, graduating in 1962. He also played soccer in the second team of \"Jeunesse Societe One\". His brother-in-law Ibrahim Sadr worked for one of the biggest football teams of the time in Morocco called \"Moroco Sportive Union\", which allowed him to travel to France occasionally. While Ibrahim was never part of the band he brought along a few instruments from trips. Yet the majority of the instruments they could not afford to buy were build by Faradjallah and Abderrazak, Faradjallah's brother who passed away early. For instance they had built a Spanish guitar and a drum made of wood barrel and sheepskin by themselves.During the 1950s Faradjallah was booked as a singer for surprise parties with friends. He started to write his first songs including \"L'gnawi\" in 1967 and wanted to make people discover Gnawa culture, or maybe rather his take on the culture to be more exact. Faradjallah recalls his first interaction with the genre in the streets of the Dern neighbourhood, where he used to go to elementary school. Gnawa is one of the essential musical genres of Morocco. It combines ritual poetry with traditional dances and music linked with a spiritual foundation. Musically a lot of influences originated from West Africa as well as Sudan. Gnawa is usually played by a selection of specific instruments such as the qaraqab (large iron castanets centrally associated with the music), the hajhouj (a three string lute), guembri loudaâ (a three stringed bass instrument) and the tbel (large drums). People would put shells on their clothes and instruments and use incense at their parties. \"Sidi darbo lalla - lala derbo khadem...\" came from Gnawa verses Faradjallah used to sing when he was 14. The lyrics tackle a global (im)balance of power and the question of social status in this course. The band Attarazat Addahabia was formed in 1968. The original line-up included 14 members, all from the same family. They played their first small concerts here and there starting in 1969. Later in 1973 they performed bigger shows for instance at the Municipal Theatre followed by the \"Al Massira Show\" at Velodrome Stadium in downtown Casablanca. Their first album \"Al Hadaoui\" (the one you are listening to) was recorded at Boussiphone studios in 1972 and was never released before. Nobody seems to remember the exact reason why Boussiphone ended up deciding not to put the album out. The album's title track also served as the basis for Fadoul's \"Maktoub Lah\", who frequented the same circles as the band for some time. Their shows sometimes could go as long as 12 hours, starting at 5pm in the afternoon, with an occasional break here and there. In the 1980s the band took a brief break. Faradjallah recalled the reason for that break like this: \"Zaki, the bands drummer, had fallen in love with a young girl from Mohammedia. Soon after, he fell very ill. The group members were convinced that the girl had given him 's'hor' (a kind of local Moroccan version of \"black magic\"). For four years, the whole group stopped playing. It was unthinkable to find another drummer to replace Zaki, even temporarily.\" So they waited four years for Zaki to \"get back on his feet\" before going back on stage. Apart from very few gigs here and there Faradjallah stopped playing music in the mid 1990s. Some members from the younger generations formed a new band and still play frequently to this day. Faradjallah runs a television repair shop coupled offerings beverages and snacks in the Belevedere \/Ains Sbaa district of Casablanca. While Faradjallah was primarily a musician, he would work for the local cinema and paint their posters for new movies by hand and he designed all artworks and cover posters of the band. And this eventually led to him participating actively in our first exhibition dealing with Habibi Funk's work in Dubai 2018. He helped us by creating calligraphic complementations on large photo prints for that show.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50484258439499,"sku":"1069309","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/ab88f41d-7dad-4b9b-a9d2-585f9af3a732_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727585852"},{"product_id":"sibhana","title":"Sibhana","description":"\u003cp\u003eAhmed Ben Ali was born in 1971 in Benghazi. He went to boarding to school in Canada for 8 years, and returned to Libya. For a couple of years he also worked in the UK. Music was never his main job but his \"main hobby\" as Ahmed says. Hhe recorded maybe 40 tracks and released two more albums. He also started playing gigs in Libya with his own band. In 2008 a friend of his decided to set up a youtube account for him by starting with two uploaded tracks. The account remained untouched since 11 years. At some points two of the tracks from this account started gaining traction. \u003ci\u003eSibhana\u003c\/i\u003e, the infectious Libyan reggae, which you can also hear on this release and \u003ci\u003eDamek Majeb\u003c\/i\u003e, the second track on this 12 inch which is leaning more towards a clubby Arabic pop feel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"Black | 12\"","offer_id":50489050956107,"sku":"1088595","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0c9fb4e5-1166-4043-bac6-9194bb73ed9a_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727635757"},{"product_id":"the-slam-years-1983-1988","title":"The SLAM! Years (1983-1988)","description":"\u003cp\u003eIf you were to ask for a defining Habibi Funk track, there are a few that come to mind: from Fadoul's \u003ci\u003eSid Redad\u003c\/i\u003e, Dalton's \u003ci\u003eSoul Brother\u003c\/i\u003e to Ahmed Malek's \u003ci\u003eOmar Gatlato\u003c\/i\u003e. However, none are as widely connected with us at this point as Hamid Al Shaeri's \u003ci\u003eAyonha\u003c\/i\u003e. We heard the track for the first time when we were working on selecting tracks for your first compilation and we instantly loved it. We obviously had heard of Hamid El Shaeri's music before, but only material from his Al Jeel phase when he was already the full-blown superstar he is now. Listening to his releases from the early 1980's opened a whole new door for us. At the time, Hamid had just left Libya to pursue his career in Egypt via a detour in London, where he recorded his first album.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHamid's distinct sound of the sound is quintessentially reliant on heavy synths and so it was particularly important to purchase these synths in a timely manner. \"Whenever a new one [synthesizer] would come out, we would have to buy it immediately, otherwise someone else would get their hands on that sound.\" London also played an important role for Hamid as a musical epicenter. He fondly reminisces about the many live shows he attended there, including some of the biggest international musicians like Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter returning to Cairo where he also recorded his following albums, he connected with SLAM! for the release of his debut, laying the foundation of a collaboration that lasted for 5 albums.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLuckily, we were able to connect with Hamid through our friend Youssra El Hawary, whose extensive network has opened many doors for us within the Egyptian music scene. We met Hamid for the first time probably in 2016 at his office \/ rehearsal studio in the outskirts Cairo. We were expecting a larger-than-life character in-line with his status as a certified superstar, yet the actual person turned out to be very approachable and super easy to connect with. He liked the idea of an effort to amplify his early works again, which, when originally released, were far from an economic success. While he was down to assist with an interview and his blessing for the project he also told us that for any license we needed to speak with the original label SLAM! who released these songs, still held the rights and also remained in business over the decades though they didn't actively release any new music.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50490065486155,"sku":"1144864","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":53641101836619,"sku":"R4997-5525","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/d00b0f3d-c906-45c0-848d-7284002667fa_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727650879"},{"product_id":"subhana","title":"Subhana","description":"\u003cp\u003eLibyan Reggae at its peak grooves courtesy of Benghazi-born \u003cstrong\u003eAhmed Ben Ali\u003c\/strong\u003e. After working with Ahmed in 2020 on the 12\" hit \"\u003cem\u003eSubhana\u003c\/em\u003e\", Habibi Funk is back with a full-length release focusing on Ahmed's releases from the mid-2000s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe tracks on the LP represent a blisteringly deep collection of heavy reggae rhythms and synthesized grooves from a singular creative force, inspired as much from Jamaican sonics as from Libyan folkloric styles. As Ahmed says, \"it's the Libyan style, not some bullshit.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBoth vinyl and CD come with an extensive booklet featuring background on Ahmed, including unseen photos, scans, and more.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50490515980619,"sku":"2026477","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50490516373835,"sku":"2026478","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Subhana_Habibi_Funk_022_41b16953_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727664992"},{"product_id":"fine-anyway","title":"Fine Anyway","description":"\u003cp\u003eRogér Fakhr is a musician from Lebanon. He recorded these songs in the late 1970s in Beirut (and some during a brief exile in Paris). Some were circulated on hand copied cassettes among friends, others like \"Had To Come Back Wet\" were never released. His music effortlessly combines folk with touches of jazz and soul. He wrote, composed and arranged all songs. While working on his own music he also played for Ziad Rahbani, Fairouz and other musicians.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen we first heard Roger's music we were blown away! The music was a mixture of folk with touches of other genres. Maybe one could also refer to it as \"singer-songwriter\", since all of the songs were Roger's own compositions. Songs of unique beauty both musically as well as lyrically. At the same time they gave me the feeling of them being somehow time and space isolated capsules. Nothing really revealed, where they could've been recorded and without knowing it was Beirut, my first guess maybe would have rather been California, sometime in the 1970s. The immersive effect of his compositions and voice are just incredible. I was stunned and proposed Roger to work on a re-release, which he politely declined, saying he had no interest in this music being reissued.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":50527006556491,"sku":"1164913","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/d996d0d9-8206-4d31-bfdf-6f3fc17945fe_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728050536"},{"product_id":"chant-amazigh","title":"Chant Amazigh","description":"\u003cp\u003eHabibi Funk presents a selection of works by Algerian-born, Amazigh artist Majid Soula. Majid's music blends the best of Arab-disco, highlife and groovy funk into something wholly unique.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn in Kabylie, Algeria - a place that remains fundamental to his career - Majid Soula is a self-made musician, artist and producer. With no formal music education, Majid's tenacity has led to a career that is still blossoming. His synths, driving drums, guitar \u0026amp; strong lyrics make a unique sound. A strong proponent for the rights of the Amazigh, he has a band that to this day plays shows, most linked to cultural events of the Amazigh diaspora in France, as well as in Belgium, Russia the UK and Sweden. He was part of a new wave of widely popular and successful Kabyle artists in the 1980s, such as Ait Menguellet, Lounès Matoub, Takfarinas, Idir and many more.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHabibi Funk as a label is dedicated to re-releasing music from \u003ci\u003eThe Arab World\u003c\/i\u003e, but this release shows how reductive this term can be, as the countries from North Africa and West Asia being summarized under this term include a vast number of languages and identities. Obviously, headlines sometimes come with limited space, and one can't avoid using terms that paint a half-finished picture. That being the case, however, we are even more happy that Majid Soula liked our idea to work on a release of a selection of his music with us. The tracks here are incredible and need to be introduced to a new generation of listeners.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor Majid Soula music is more than just entertainment. He considers himself an activist through music, and foremost a \"chanteur engagé\", as he says of himself: \"I take my inspiration from the daily life of my people and I share all their aspirations, mainly the official recognition of Tamazight as a language, culture and identity.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe still works on new music in his small home studio in Belleville and occasionally plays concerts for the Amazigh community of the city.\u003cbr\u003eWe sincerely hope that for you reading this and listening to Majid's album, his music will have the same revelatory feeling it had on us, and that this will be part of a momentum that will allow Majid to keep on working, playing, and sharing his message for many years to come.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50530979316043,"sku":"1136388","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/a8b4bb88-ef6c-4872-9992-2c24b86d3e83_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1728089775"},{"product_id":"samh-almeaad","title":"Samh Almea'ad","description":"\u003cp\u003eHabibi Funk is excited to announce the release of Samh Almea'ad, a new 7\" record with booklet by Libyan artist Cheb Bakr, hitting the shelves on December 6th, 2024. Recorded in the early 2000s, Bakr's music fuses the pulse of Libyan pop with R\u0026amp;B and hip-hop influences, bringing the energy of Benghazi to the dance floors of New York in the early 2000s. Cheb Bakr's sound is a unique blend of styles that captures the essence of two worlds and includes production and vocals by Ahmed Ben Ali.\r\n\r\nOur journey with Cheb Bakr's music began when Yousef Alhoush, whose father Najib Alhoush led The Free Music from Libya, generously lent us boxes of cassettes to digitize. With the help of a journalist traveling from Tripoli to Cairo, we brought the tapes and a high-quality deck to Egypt. For three days in a hotel room on Zamalek island in Cairo, we sifted through nearly 100 tapes, finally landing on several from Cheb Bakr that dated back to the late 1990s and early 2000s. His albums stood out for their fresh, genre-defying sound—Bakr's vocals flowed effortlessly over R\u0026amp;B and hip-hop beats with touches of jungle and drum and bass percussion, creating a fusion that crossed cultural and musical boundaries.\n\nReturning to Berlin, we took a deeper dive into the digitized tapes, identifying bands, singers, and producers that excited us. In the process, we noticed familiar rap verses on a few of Bakr's tracks—verses by none other than Ahmed Ben Ali, who was about to release an album with Habibi Funk. When we asked Ahmed about his connection with Bakr, he explained that they'd collaborated closely at Jamaica Studios in Benghazi, with Ahmed even producing some of Bakr's songs.\n\nDespite having lost touch for years, Ahmed helped us reconnect with Cheb Bakr through mutual friends. Their reunion took place in Bakr's living room, where we joined them on a video call to discuss Bakr's career and his influences. He explained how he sought to reinterpret eastern Libyan folk sounds for a new generation, blending them with contemporary genres.\n\nThis 45 marks the beginning of our work with Cheb Bakr, offering a glimpse into his unique musical style, with a full album to follow at a later date. The release includes two standout tracks that showcase Bakr's dynamic range. Side A features \"Samh Almea'ad,\" a reinterpretation of a 2003 New York classic with Bakr's signature spin. Since our first listen in that Cairo hotel room, it's been played at every Habibi Funk set without exception. Side B, produced by Ahmed Ben Ali, features \"Rjana Lamta,\" a track that hints at American influences alongside a nod to Ahmed's \"Dameek Majeb.\" Bakr's artistry ties these contrasting elements into an original, dancefloor-ready track that remains as captivating today as it was two decades ago. As always, this 7\" release comes with a booklet detailing some of the Cheb Bakr story. Samh Almea'ad will be out on vinyl December 6th.\n\nLicensing info: These songs were licensed from Cheb Bakr. We pay the licensing partner 50% of the profits of this release. Only project related costs are deductible from the gross income, research and travel costs come out of our own share. Publishing was not included in our agreement (We feel it's important to be transparent about these deals, therefore we will include these infos in all future releases).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"7\" - Black","offer_id":50857267003723,"sku":"2233190","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_3612f93a_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1731949755"},{"product_id":"alech-3","title":"Alech","description":"\u003cp\u003eAfter being out of stock for years finally the debut release of Habibi Funk by Tunisian band Dalton is back in stock including an updated artwork and booklet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the story of the release: Dalton's \"Alech\" single was our first release as a label in 2015. In the years before we had started to get into Arabic records and we came across a Moroccan singer called Fadoul and after some time we decided to try to find him to get his blessing to re-release his music. This search eventually took years and in the end we learned that Fadoul had passed many years ago but we managed to find his family and license an album from them. Sometime during this search we came across a copy of Dalton's single and we immediately fell in love with it. While it was only a 7\" single with 2 songs it was the perfect mix. An upbeat and infectious a-side, paired with a mellow and soulful b-side. While the search to learn about Fadoul took us years, Dalton's band leader Fawzi Chekili was just one online search away and within minutes we found his profile on social media. We reached out to him presenting the idea of a reissue and he was with it from the get go. Over the years to come we have met him a few times in Tunis and he has told us the story of the band:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDalton was a band from Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. They came together as a band around 1968 when most of the members studied together at the University of Tunis. Fawzi Chekili studied English literature, though he didn't graduate as after his first seat he started to focus more on his music. Back in Tunis there was a community of musicians and eventually he met Ridha who studied French literature at the same time and together they decided to form a band, this was the moment Dalton was born. The members changed frequently in the beginning until the key members came together: Fawzi Chekili on guitar, piano and vocals, Ridha Kouhen on bass guitar, Mustapha Rehouma and sax and percussion, Sadok Gharbi on trumpet and vocals and Skander Alim on drums and vocals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey were active in the local scene, playing music that was heavily influenced by American soul and funk and rock'n'roll. Fawzi Chekili recalls that it was bands like \"Chicago\", \"Blood, Sweat \u0026amp; Tears\", \"Average White Band\" and \"Billy Cobham\" that they listened to at the time and that left a big impression on them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEventually they realized that if they wanted to keep on going as a band they needed to make sure they were able to play shows frequently which would guarantee them a certain income. After some shows here in there they eventually got lucky. In the early 70s the band got a regular gig at a beach hotel called Sahara Beach Resort on the coastline of Tunisia. It was a huge compound spread through 3 major buildings. During peak season it allowed 3000 guests to stay there at the same time. They signed a six month contract which eventually kept on getting renewed for a couple of years and during that time they would play every single night of the tourist season. While the hotel gig required the band to play sets leaning towards tourist entertainment, the regular work helped put some money into the band's accounts. Using those funds the band was able to travel to Rome to record their one and only 7\" single release \"Alech\" around 1971\/1972. While the b-side \"Soul Brother\" sounds like a Tunisian version of modern soul \/ AOR with it's English lyrics and lush arrangements, the title track \"Alech\" is the one that will get every party started. An infectious 3\/4 rhythm, a great horn arrangement and brillantly layered vocals that made us think of Brazillian music or the Georgian groove band Gaya.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe band eventually dismantled in the mid 70s and returned briefly as a new group with new members in the late 1970s under the name Carthago. You can listen to their music on another Habibi Funk release. Fawzi Chekili is still active as a renowned musician in the Tunisian jazz scene and remains active recording and playing concerts both in Tunisia and internationally. Ridha Kouhen, his co-founder in Dalton sadly passed away in a car crash in the 1980s.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"7\" - Black","offer_id":50903840457035,"sku":"2234634","price":4.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/cover.ki_374fdaac_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1732810894"},{"product_id":"hawalat","title":"Hawalat","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTaking inspiration from hawala, a system of informal money transfers made to certain countries impacted by a lack of currency or unstable contexts. Megarbane spins this concept on its head, reimagining it as an artistic exchange spanning cultures, generations, and geographies. This spirit of creative movement is embodied in the album's amalgamative nature, featuring contributions from an international lineup of artists, including London-based jazz vocalist Sahra Gure, Italian-Tunisian singer LNDFK, Neapolitan pianist Dario Bassolino, Berlin beatmaker and violinist FloFilz, and an 18-piece orchestral arrangement by Swedish composer Sven Wunder. Recorded across multiple locations, from Beirut to Brooklyn, Stockholm to a rural French commune, the album's sonic journey mirrors its thematic premise. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMusically, the track list of Hawalat travels through a varied journey of textures and temperaments. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFollowing \u003cem\u003eMarzipan\u003c\/em\u003e (2023), which took a look inwards at the heart of Lebanon, \u003cem\u003eHawalat\u003c\/em\u003e expands further outwards, exploring themes of diaspora, exile, and artistic migration. \"As much as Marzipan was a portrait of Lebanon from the inside, Hawalat picks up where it left off,\" Megarbane explains. The album avoids nostalgic recreations of the past, instead situating itself comfortably in the present with a sound that is both timeless and contemporary.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":51546998243659,"sku":"R5556-4147","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":51547006566731,"sku":"R5556-1744","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/cover.ki-11.jpg?v=1743250744"},{"product_id":"habibi-funk-print-001-spotlights","title":"Habibi Funk Print 001: Spotlights","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe idea behind Spotlights is to bring together some of the research Habibi Funk Print  have done for their own releases but also include stories that go beyond the scope of the record label. 88 Pages, A4 format. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGracing the cover of the first issue is the inimitable Sun Ra in 1971, performing in Cairo at the apartment of Cairo Jazz Band co-founder Hartmut Geerken. Alongside these magnificent photos, they publish a comprehensive final conversation with the late Geerken from his Germany home in 2021\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e. They delve into the visual world of Moroccan studio photographer Fouad Zerrei, profile anonymous Soul singer Pale Jay, and explore Mulatu Astatke’s timeless Ethio-jazz hit Tezeta as a cinematic tool in RaMell Ross’ 2024 film Nickel Boys. They also invite vinyl collectors Algerian Vinyl and CrocoDiscos to share the most beloved records.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"Magazine","offer_id":56371723698507,"sku":"R0476-6443","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Screenshot2026-01-23at17.15.59.png?v=1769188583"},{"product_id":"habibi-funk-036-pieces-of-a-dream","title":"Pieces Of A Dream","description":"\u003cp\u003eRecorded between 1988 and 1989 in a small eight-track home studio in Amman, \u003cem\u003ePieces Of A Dream\u003c\/em\u003e captures a rarely documented corner of the Arab music scene: late-80s Jordanian musicians reaching toward jazz, soul, yacht rock and city pop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNechazz\u003c\/strong\u003e were formed by Palestinian-Jordanian musicians \u003cstrong\u003eBasim Said\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eKhaldoon Nasser\u003c\/strong\u003e, alongside Iraqi singer and guitarist \u003cstrong\u003eKassim Sabounchi\u003c\/strong\u003e. The trio became known for live shows at Amman’s iconic Rumours club, but these recordings were never officially released and remained unheard, even by friends and family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe album blends smooth R\u0026amp;B, jazz and sophisticated pop, with shades of \u003cstrong\u003eBobby Caldwell\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eSteely Dan\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eMichael Franks\u003c\/strong\u003e, early \u003cstrong\u003eGeorge Michael\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eTears For Fears\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eLevel 42\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eStevie Wonder\u003c\/strong\u003e. \u003cem\u003eLove Meeting Love\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eOver You\u003c\/em\u003e shine with harmonies, synths and serious musicianship. Found on a family cassette archive, this Habibi Funk release is a beautiful rediscovery.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Habibi Funk","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":57889668301131,"sku":"R1409-3990","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":57889668333899,"sku":"R1409-5647","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2000x2000bb_0b54cebe-ec6c-417c-a43c-454d3ea3f34f.jpg?v=1784308191"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_2b8cefa6_thumbnail_4096_b0cf3b50-d009-4072-b6d4-f9db0ea4e325.jpg?v=1726437647","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/fr\/collections\/habibi-funk.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}