Live by Wael Alkak

𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐋𝐎𝐀𝐃𝐒 𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐀𝐓: https://waelalkak.bandcamp.com

Wael Alkak is a Syrian musician based in Paris. He is a composer and electronic music producer who trained in classical knowledge at the Conservatory of Damascus. After studying classical percussion, he joined the Syrian National symphonic Orchestra and various collectives of musicians engaged in everything from jazz, funk, "oriental," and arabic classical music. Alkak's first album Neshama was inspired by the revolutionary anthems from the peaceful demonstrations in Syria in 2011. He is also the founder of the Neshama Popular Arts Association.

Based in Paris since 2012, he tours in France and Europe with his band Neshama and his solo electronic music project, Wael Alkak Live. His live performances are the result of a hybrid and experimental musical creation, merging synthesizers and machines with bouzouk, traditional chaâbi rhythms, and popular songs from the Levant. His performances reflect a work of memory on the richness of Syrian culture, while forming an independent art further inspired by European electronic cultures.

On this album, the project's debut recording, Alkak tackles several such traditional pieces in his inimitable style: 'Mawal Sabawai,' performed on bouzouk, was inspired by the old seven-verse popular poetry from Damascus and the surrounding regions, while 'Tayartn Belsama' is a popular love song from Swida in southern Syria (Horan's Mountain). Perhaps the album's beating heart, however, is the four part suite simply titled 'The Live,' which sees Alkak building from a haunting synthesizer taqssem (a freely improvised instrumental improvisation) into a multi-part exploration of popular Syrian dance styles. A gorgeous and powerful example of contemporary Arab Futurism equally at home in a sweaty club or laid out under the stars.

experimental sound platform centered around the SWANA underground and its various international diasporas...

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