Al compás del mundo - programa #133Arab pop (and its ilk)

If I ever hold an Arab dance party and if I can afford to lure him out of retirement – should he still live – I’m getting Bob Destiny to start, fill in the middle, and finish off the evening with “Wang Dang” and any other radical energy songs he’s capable of. Joe Biden could use a hit off of whatever that man was taking! Maybe he’s channeling James Brown, like so many singers the world over who recognized a hitmaker when they heard him. As an example, Belbao from Morocco got the itch and tried out “It’s a Man’s World.” Sounds more like bad karaoke than anything and we’re kind of hoping half way through he’ll grab his beer and sit down to let someone else have the mic. But that’s alright. Pop music has long had a healthy tolerance for underachievers, oftentimes recording studio progeny or the kids of wealthy patrons. If any nepotism is happening here I’m unaware, so talent gets judged on face value. Cheb Mohamed Sghir draws our attention with electronic mayhem sounding like something out of Willy Wonka land – but I kind of dig it! Give me some Owsley windowpane and it sounds like rocket fuel. There’s music for old people too. “Take Me Back to Cairo” was a hit in 1983 when I lived in Egypt, but I recently found out the original, heard here, was recorded in 1961. Good smarmy stuff! And then there’s the foreigners jumping on the Arab pop bandwagon. “Habibi (My Beloved) Twist” by Italian group The Latins, and an Indonesian tune “Ya Mahmud” lays down some heavy lyrics: “I love you Mr. Mahmud. Come to me Mr. Mahmud.” Actually, quite a lot of the profundity here is sung in English. The West was the role model for popular music worldwide and English was the language of youthful rebellion, cash and coca-cola. In an attempt to cover all the bases, against my better judgment we get Jenny & Gassan & Elias Rahbani tossing out a disco ditty – “every day, every day, I need more love” (I warned you) and a nod to heavier stuff with Yowla saluting the Zeppelin and cranking up the amplifiers for all those fans of oblique and possibly hazardous music.

Runlist - Al compás del mundo - programa #133, Arab pop (and its ilk)
First broadcast Jun 20, 2024

01 Bob Destiny - Wang Dang (USA-Algeria)

02 Abdou El Omari - Zifaf Filfada - (Morocco)

03 The Latins - Habibi twist (Italy)

04 Sahli - Raikoum (Algeria)

05 Attarazat Addahabia - Aflana (Morocco)

06 Dur Dur Band - Is Yeelyel (Somalia)

07 Kelana Ria - Ya Mahmud (Indonesia)

08 Karim Shukry - Take Me Back to Cairo (Egypt)

09 Said Ziani - Ahlane Bel Hob (Morocco)

10 Sharhabil Ahmed - Zulum Aldunya (Sudan)

11 Belbao - It's a Man's World (Morocco)

12 Cheb Mohamed Sghir – Khalouni (Algeria)

13 Jenny & Gassan & Elias Rahbani - Every Day (Lebanon)

14 Abdel Rahman Al Khamissi - African Dance (Egypt)

15 Abdel Al Talbani - Take Me Back to Iskandariya (Egypt)

16 Yowla - Iraqi Rock Music (Iraq)

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