Omar Souleyman Readies Debut Album for Monkeytown
The Syrian vocalist's latest LP features production from Four Tet, Gilles Peterson, and Modeselektor and a remix by Legowelt.
Prolific Syrian singer Omar Souleyman will debut on Berlin label Monkeytown this summer with a new album. Souleyman got his start as a wedding-party singer in the Hasake region of his home country—yielding hundreds of DIY cassette recordings—before his music was picked up by Sublime Frequencies and brought to wider attention. Entitled Bahdeni Nami, the seven original tracks on this latest outing were produced by electronic music figureheads Four Tet (with whom he worked on 2013’s Wenu Wenu), Gilles Peterson, and label founders Modeselektor, with a title-track remix from Dutch synth specialist Legowelt. The record was recorded in Istanbul and also features traditional accompaniment from longtime collaborators, including the poet Ahmad Alsamer, saxophonist Khaled Youssef, and keyboard player Rizan Said.
Bahdeni Nami will see an official release on July 24, and both its artwork and complete tracklist can be viewed below, along with a batch of upcoming tour dates; album cut “Enssa El Aatab” (produced by Modeselektor) is also streaming below.
A1. Mawal Menzal
A2. Bahdeni Nami (prod. by Four Tet)
B1. Tawwalt El Gheba (prod. by Gilles Peterson)
B2. Leil El Bareh (prod. by Modeselektor)
C1. Darb El Hawa
C2. Enssa El Aatab (prod. by Modeselektor)
D1. Bahdeni Nami (remix by Legowelt)
March 26 – Treefort Music Festival / Boise, ID
March 27 – Slingshot Festival / Athens, GA
March 28 – Big Ears Festival / Knoxville, TN
May 21 – Obey Convention 8 / Halifax, NS
May 22 – Le Poisson Rouge / New York, NY
May 23 – Jewels Catch One / Los Angeles, CA
May 30 – Colston Hall / Bristol, UK
June 6 – Distortion Festival / Copenhagen, DK
June 12 – Bestival Toronto / Toronto, ON
June 26 – Down The Rabbit Hole / Beuningen, NL
July 11 – Pohoda Festival / Trencin, SK
July 16 – Dour Festival / Dour, BE