Many will be drawn to Omar Souleyman’s new album because of the involvement of electronic producers Four Tet, Modeselektor, Gilles Peterson and Legowelt, but their sonic personalities are barely audible compared to Souleyman’s own larger-than-life presence. With the exception of Lego-welt’s acid industrial remix of the title track, Bahdeni Nami isn’t a big departure from the high-octane modern dabke sound he’s honed over decades as a Syrian wedding singer.
His collaborators mostly stay out of the way of a winning formula, resulting in a subtly cleaner and bigger version of the hundreds (yes, hundreds) of lo-fi cassettes of live performances that make up most of Souleyman’s discography. Long-time collaborator Rizan Said is still on synths, Khaled Youssef continues to provide blazing saz solos, and Souleyman’s favourite poet, Ahmad Alsamer, contributes lyrics.
The crisp production makes this more accessible to newbies, but it’s definitely still a Souleyman album, successfully capturing the raw, unbridled energy that’s fuelled his jump from the wedding party circuit to indie rock festivals.
Top track: Bahdeni Nami
