#oum kalthoum

[virginpv]

[droplets-of-neptune]

[ortodelmondo]

Oum Kalsoum à Bagdad, 1932

[geeky-politics-46]

How did none of my fellow bellydance friends tell me all the classic Arabic songs in Moon Knight?!?! Literally less than 5 mins into episode 1 is Abdel Halim Hafez's Khosara, although most people probably thought it was Jay-Z's Big Pimpin'.

Lots of other absolute classics too like Batwanes Beek by Warda & Alf Leyla Wa Leyla by Oum Kalthoum.

If you liked the music in Moon Knight I recommend checking out some of the other pieces & artists mentioned here. You may actually recognize more than you think. I personally recommend anything by Upper Egypt Ensemble.

https://salimpourschool.com/educate/100-compositions/

I may well put together a Spotify playlist too, but Suhaila's list is *muah*.

[burlveneer-music]

Aya Metwalli & Calamita - Al Saher - Middle Eastern music meets skronk

CALAMITA = KARKHANA members TONY ELIEH, SHARIF SEHNAOUI and Lebanese drummer MALEK RIZKALLAH join forces with the Egyptian singer AYA METWALLI - the result is the improbable meeting between free jazz / improv, punk rock & Oum Kalthoum! CALAMITA is the “rock project” of SHARIF SEHNAOUI and TONY ELIEH, two of the most active musicians on the Lebanese experimental scene (among others projects, both are members of the “free Middle Eastern music” collective KARKHANA). SEHNAOUI comes from a jazz and improv music background, ELIEH is primarily a rock musician and founding member of the Lebanese post-punk band THE SCRAMBLED EGGS whose work in the last decade has covered many directions from pop-rock to plain experimental. They are joined by Lebanese drummer MALEK RIZKALLAH (WHO KILLED BRUCE LEE, ex THE SCRAMBLED EGGS). As trio they develop instrumental pieces that draw their inspiration from artists as diverse as Tony Conrad, Last Exit or Oum Kalthoum. AYA METWALLI is an Egyptian singer/songwriter, composer and sound artist currently based in Beirut. Grown up in Cairo, her father would play non-stop Oum Kalthoum songs on road trips to the beach and Aya’s mother; known to have the most beautiful voice in the family, she always sang at home and at family gatherings, so long before Aya was able to form her own music taste, immense amounts of Arabic classic songs and melodies already settled in her subconsciousness Musicians: Aya Metwalli: voice,guitar,electronics Sharif Sehnaoui: electric guitar Tony Elieh: electric bass Malek Rizkallah: drums

[boricuacherry-blog]

She was also said to be working on a song with Egyptian actor Mohamed Ramadan, which some found weird since he's not a singer. The news caused quite a stir on Arab social media.

"I listen to Fairuz a lot," Beyoncé told an interviewer. "Y'all have the most incredible singers. I think I was an Arab in another life."

[king-without-g]

一切都是好玩 - Lolsnake

Picture from : https://ra.co/news/78262

「最終一切都是好玩」，Danielle Lumma Rahal（也就是 Lolsnake）在描述她的活動 Weeeirdos 時這樣說。「在音樂風格上沒有任何限制。如果你想在 mic 前直接爆發，我會全力支持和鼓勵。」

這種開放包容的態度也流露在她的 DJ 表演中。「我喜歡用『as hard but cute』來形容我的音樂風格，」她說道。她會選擇經典的狂歡派對、90年代的 Techno 和 Trance 音樂，並注重音效美學和氣氛的建立。

   這位伊拉克裔美國藝人本來並沒有計劃成為 DJ 或派對策劃人。當她的父母離開伊拉克尋求庇護在美國時，他們搬到了加州的奧克蘭市(Oakland, California)。在90年代初，這座城市擁有全國最高的殺人率，Lolsnake 還記得晚上聽到槍聲。

Picture from : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSH8HB-4Ehk

   作為一個孩子，Lolsnake「處於兩種文化之間並且極度孤立」。但是聽到 Oum Kalthoum 和 Fairouz 的阿拉伯盒帶讓她可以心理上逃避現實。2003年，當美國入侵伊拉克時，Lolsnake 在當地被視為恐怖���子。「在這段時間裡，我遭受了極端的種族主義、死亡威脅以及更多的孤立，」她回憶道。「於2000年代初，要在美國成為一個穆斯林和伊拉克人，那並不是一件輕鬆的事情。」

Hio-Hop、Heavy Metal 和許多其他音樂類型消弭了外界的噪音，讓 Lolsnake 可以滑入另一個境界。她提到 Depeche Mode 和 Underworld 等樂團，是在她青少年時期「深深影響了」她的一些音樂。

Picture from : https://www.shipping.media/events-page/lolsnake

   2010年，Lolsnake 搬到曼徹斯特學習神經科學，但在2014年畢業後，她前往柏林。她說：「我感覺這是第一次我能夠做回自己，真正的放下在美國感受到過去的孤立，但仍有一些問題沒有解決。」

   柏林的舞池培育了 Lolsnake。雖然她感到 “尷尬”，但在非法的狂歡派對和 Berghain，她感到舒適。

“Berghain” 作為柏林最著名、最神秘的電子音樂 Club，當她在這個文化機構首次亮相時，她感到回到了她的 “第二個客廳”，哪那是屬於她自己的地方。

[mai-sau]

أنا لن أعود إليك مهما استرحمت دقات قلبي أنت الذى بدأ الملالمه والصدود وخان حبي I will not return to you no matter my heart's cry for mercy. You, who brought restlessness and rejection, betraying my love.

[medusa1597]

1 thing about my dad is that he was a huge jazz fan (no comment) so we mostly listened to jazz and not that much arabic music so sometimes ill be hanging out with my family like 'wow ive been listening to this woman .... uhhhhhh warda ? you guys ever heard of her ?'

[muhtesemz]

Two divas together, Fairuz and Oum Kalthoum meeting in Cairo, 1966.

[april-is]

April 1, 2024: vocabulary, Safia Elhillo

vocabulary Safia Elhillo

fact:

the arabic word هواء (hawa) means wind thearabicwordهوى (hawa) means love

  test: (multiple choice)   abdelhalim said you left me holding wind in my hands                           or   abdelhalim said you left me holding love in my hands

           abdelhalim was left                empty                                              or            abdelhalim was left                full

  fairouz said                   o wind, take me to my country                            or   fairouz said                   o love, take me to my country

           fairouz is looking for             vehicle                                              or            fairouz is looking for             fuel

  oum kalthoum said       where the wind stops her ships, we stop ours                            or   oum kalthoum said       where love stops her ships, we stop ours

                oum kalthoum is           stuck                                                    or                 oum kalthoum is           home

--

It's here, it's here; happy National Poetry Month! In case you forgot: I'll be sharing a poem every day in April.

Want it as an email? Sign up here and it'll be whisked to your inbox by a team of digital carrier pigeons.

Or follow along on Tumblr, Twitter, or RSS. (Want to see it mirrored elsewhere? [Instagram, Substack, Bluesky, etc] Please let me know!)

==

This is, uh, the 20th year of this project??? See many years of past selections by browsing the archives or exploring the poems sent on today's date in:

2023: Reasons to Live Through the Apocalypse, Nikita Gill 2022: New Year, Kate Baer 2021: Instructions on Not Giving Up, Ada Limón 2020: Motto, Bertolt Brecht 2019: Separation, W.S. Merwin 2018: Good Bones, Maggie Smith 2017: Better Days, A.F. Moritz 2016: Jenny Kiss’d Me, Leigh Hunt 2015: The Night House, Billy Collins 2014: Tim Riggins Speaks of Waterfalls, Nico Alvarado 2013: Nan Hardwicke Turns Into a Hare, Wendy Pratt 2012: A Short History of the Apple, Dorianne Laux 2011: New York Poem, Terrance Hayes 2010: On Wanting to Tell [ ] about a Girl Eating Fish Eyes, Mary Szybist 2009: A Little Tooth, Thomas Lux 2008: The Sciences Sing a Lullabye, Albert Goldbarth 2007: Elegy of Fortinbras, Zbigniew Herbert 2006: When Leather is a Whip, by Martin Espada 2005: Parents, William Meredith

Thank you for being here!

[sonicandvisualsurprises]

70's/80's.

Rehla by Hany Mehanna : a hypnotic journey through vintage Egyptian grooves!

Biography from last.fm :

Hany Mehanna is an Egyptian musician and composer. He played as a young, talented organist next to stars like Oum Kalthoum and Abdel Halim Hafez.

Hany was a member of Ahmed Fouad Hassan’s Al Massiya Orchestra (The Diamond Orchestra), one of the finest orchestras Egypt has ever known.

Until today he still writes for various Arabic artists and composes scores for Egyptian movies and series.

[sivavakkiyar]

Also, what you have described with putting music in the saxophone – the great work of John Cage. I’ve noticed that no one talks about John Cage anymore. But in fact, the great work of John Cage, the great work of Alvin Lucier, the great work of Pauline Oliveros, part of our responsibilities, in my opinion, is to help the younger people learn about who’s doing what, and what in particular has come from what. As far as I’m concerned the great work of Johann Sebastian Bach is still relevant, and still revolutionary. When I go back, I’m trying to study the early Egyptian musics. Great masters like Oum Kalthoum. We should never forget, or at least I should never forget, that music is as much a mystical discipline as a sonic discipline, or iconic discipline. And so this is why I feel like everything is possible as we continue to move forward.

Anthony Braxton, interview from The Quietus

[poems-from-around-the-world]

Vocabulary - Safia Elhillo - USA

fact:

the arabic word هواء (hawa) means wind thearabicwordهوى (hawa) means love

  test: (multiple choice)   abdelhalim said you left me holding wind in my hands                           or   abdelhalim said you left me holding love in my hands

           abdelhalim was left                empty                                              or            abdelhalim was left                full

  fairouz said                   o wind, take me to my country                            or   fairouz said                   o love, take me to my country

           fairouz is looking for             vehicle                                              or            fairouz is looking for             fuel

  oum kalthoum said       where the wind stops her ships, we stop ours                            or   oum kalthoum said       where love stops her ships, we stop ours

                oum kalthoum is           stuck                                                    or                 oum kalthoum is           home

[awanderinglostsoul]

Something that nobody agrees with you on?

Lets see:

1- I hate oum kalthoum & amr diab, i literally have no guts to lissen to them.

2-Cinema is a perfect place to sleep at if u don't snore while sleeping.

[hummussexual]

An embrace of queer identity and intimacy, the newly installed exhibition 'Habibi, the revolutions of love' showcases and questions the ideas surrounding queer love in the Arab world and beyond, countering orthodox perceptions through creativity.

Florence Massena 08 February, 2023

In a colourful setting on level -1 of the Arab World Institute (IMA) in the heart of Paris, installations, videos, paintings, drawings, designs and embroideries are showcased until February 19 under the title Habibi, the revolutions of love.

The exhibition focuses on queer love and expression in the Arab world, as well as Iran and Afghanistan, shedding light on an often taboo topic in the countries the artists come from.

The exhibition itself is far from a narrow portrayal of love under oppression.

It goes through motions and narratives, embracing more complex issues such as exile, politics, survival, intimacy and finding happiness, either at home or abroad.

The selection of more than 20 artists, sometimes gathered in collaborations or collectives, from very various countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Algeria, Jordan and Tunisia, bring to life a lot of creativity and desire.

The exhibition turns easily into a conversation between the artists and the themes, which answer each other with harmony and subtlety.

The project itself was born from conversations led between curators and contemporary artists during and after the IMA’s exhibition Divas, from Oum Kalthoum to Dalida back in 2021.

“There were these constellations of themes that could be explored setting up around us, and we have seen a lot of interrogations on genders and sexualities,” Elodie Bouffard, the exhibition curator alongside Khalid Abdel-Hadi and Nada Majdoub, told The New Arab. “It kind of imposed itself on us!”

The choice was not to focus on geography and lead a “country by country” organisation, but instead to highlight the creations’ quality and make it a topic among the others as it is often done in an institution such as IMA.

“The artistic expression is itself enough, led by a new scene that will certainly make the contemporary scene of tomorrow,” Elodie said.

“We made sure to see what united the pieces, and we saw that it goes beyond the topic of sexuality. Some cross paths, some clash with their activism and others are more playful, some are feminists… The queer topic is the line that allows us to question the ideas of norms, social identities, body’s politicisation, the question of surveillance as well as the way others perceived you, notably through the European gaze.”

Despite the choice to open to many countries and artists, Lebanon is overly represented, through the presence of many Lebanese artists but also artists who lived and worked in Beirut for a few months or years.

“In Lebanon, you have a lot of personalities, many spaces dedicated to cultural interventions as well as an activist History through organizations like Helem for example [first LGBTQIA+ rights organisation in the Arab world] that did a lot for LGBTQ+ struggles,” Elodie explained. “All of this combined makes Lebanon an unavoidable place to work and exhibit for queer artists from the region.”

This is the case of Alireza Shojaian, an Iranian artist born in 1988 and who lived a few years in Beirut before moving on to Paris in 2019. “I was an artist in Iran but my art was sitting in my closet,” Alireza told The New Arab.

“In Lebanon, I could create and be exhibited, there is freedom and space to do that there and that’s why it’s so represented in that exhibition. You know, the first time I was exhibited was in another Arab country! I often feel that the Iranian authorities try to prevent us to travel to the rest of the region so that we don’t find the spaces of expression that exist.”

The main work he is exhibiting is a big mural called The Mirror, a self-portrait representing his suspended time in Beirut through the city in the background, his identity through the books on the shelf and his state of mind, a lingering sadness as a person in exile.

It also represents five photographs on the mirror, one of an intimate moment of his life, one of his military service, Bashasha and a friend by 1950s Lebanese photographer Heshem el Madani, US gay activist and politician Harvey Milk, as well as Two Men Dancing, a photograph from Robert Mapplethorpe, from a 1980s performance piece entitled The Power of Theatrical Madness.

Shojaian felt important to participate in such an exhibition, first because of its location: “It’s in an institution dedicated to the Arab world and the topic LGBTQ+ has always been neglected there. It is important to show that this topic exists in the Arab world, and towards the West to also remind them where the laws and rules against homosexuality come from, that maybe they can help.”

Most of the official status in the Arab world on homosexuality was taken during the British and French mandates and occupations, for example in Lebanon as a colonial relic from the early 1900s. “It is also for me, as an Iranian, because I am able to give my voice to the thousands who can’t speak up in my country,” Alireza added.

Also quite political, Tunisian artist Aïcha Snoussi, born in 1989 and currently living in Paris, decided to tackle the tough topics of the people who drowned during the crossing of the Mediterranean sea through a big installation, as well as the troubles of the world through a self-portrait, pensive in her room. “The two works echo each other,” she told The New Arab.

“Multiplicity on one side, with more than 700 bottles filled with old paper, archives, inks and organic elements. The uniqueness on the other side, that of a canvas made of the same materials but recounting the chaos of the world from within.”

In the exhibition, Aïcha also noted the themes of exile, history, archives, memory, transmission and struggle, which are according to her “intimately linked to that of the body, its representations and these evanescences”.

“These sensitivities and trajectories give rise to new narratives, which are relatively under-represented in art but also in queer culture, and therefore necessary,” she added. “It is also a visibility that sends a message of power and resistance to those who recognize themselves in it.”

Other artists chose to address those themes of both love and exile through a more intimate approach, such as the Lebanese visual artistic duo Jeanne & Moreau, composed of Lara Tabet and Randa Mirza.

They set up a bedroom displaying pictures and videos they exchanged during their long-distance relationship time as well as when they started living together, first in Lebanon then in France, through crisis, exile and changes in their approach to art and each other.

“First we were apart, there was a desire of seduction, then the 2019 crisis in Lebanon with an economic collapse and then the explosion of the Beirut port,” Lara Tabet told The New Arab.

“At the same time as those repeated crises, our relationship changed too. We decided to exhibit a bedroom, where a lot of intimate things are renegotiated, which also represents a delicate balance between the idyllic privilege of living as a nomad and the harshness of forced exile, as well as domesticity.”

The installation combines intimacy inside and activism outside for their country, the crisis inviting itself into intimacy through the destruction of their Beirut apartment during the August 2020 explosion.

Sexuality, struggles, identity and perception of yourself go across the narratives IMA exhibited in an explosion of themes, freedom and colours in an expression space where audiences often associate pain and shame.