Omar Souleyman "Highway to Hassake" 2xLP (2007) SIZZLING dance sounds of Syria

$

25

Baron Elmo proudly presents a killer vinyl document of Middle Eastern popular music at its most driving and relentless, from Syrian phenomenon OMAR SOULEYMAN: Highway to Hassake, his Western debut (after over 500 tapes issued in his native land), issued in 2007 by the ever-amazing Sublime Frequencies label. This is the ridiculously limited double LP edition, issued in a single pressing that sold out instantly. Souleyman, who makes his living playing wedding parties and selling cassettes, is master of several hugely popular regional musical styles, particularly dabke and choubi. Easy to see the reason for his popularity -- Omar's fast ones are fierce dancefloor burners, his slow ones downright hypnotic. Believe us, you've never heard anything quite like it. This collection was carefully compiled from nearly nine years worth of tape-only releases, and it will knock you off your fundament -- especially when blasted at the appropriate wall-shaking level. Followers of world music neglect this album at their peril. This copy is in superlative, near-mint shape, both the records (pressed on luscious heavyweight vinyl) and the heavy-duty gatefold cover.

*****

With cassettes by the hundreds in shops all over Syria, Omar Souleyman qualifies as a cultural phenomenon. Highway to Hassake is his first Western release. The album was compiled by Sublime Frequencies' Mark Gergis from cassettes recorded between 1996 and 2006. Most tracks were recorded for release straight from the mixing board at live events, making for often less-than-ideal sound quality. However, the performances are generally spirited enough to make up for the sonic flaws. Souleyman is quite the performer, no doubt about that. His rich, flexible voice has bite in frantic numbers (mostly in dabke style, typical Syrian party music) and a lot of soul in ataba songs (a mournful style). Among his other influences are Iraqi choubi (a style already chronicled by the label on the CD Choubi Choubi) and Turkish pop music. Omar is also surrounded by highly talented musicians, including oud players Hamid Souleyman and Ali Shakir, and keyboardist Rizan Sa'id, whose lightning-fast solos can put Rick Wakeman to shame. Highlights include the pumping “Leh Jani” (watch the video!) and “Dabke 2001”, along with both versions of “Atabat”, which together illustrate how Souleyman can build seemingly endless variations over simple themes. ~ Babe(l)ogue

I must say it's always exciting getting a new release from the Sun City Girls' aptly monikered Sublime Frequencies label. There's something about the un-forced messiness of their compilations that makes them so much more attractive than the masses of 'world music' CDs I come across week after week, you actually feel like you're discovering music for the first time rather than being forced into an academically constructed box, and that's what it's all about isn't it? This latest emission is shockingly the label's first attempt at a single-artist album but don't worry, all the irreverence and haphazardness is still all present and correct, we just have one guy involved instead of hundreds, and what a guy that is. Omar Souleyman, at 41 years old, has put his name to over 500 albums, that's almost more than Machinefabriek and Atom Heart put together, and he's also something of a star in his native Syria. Blending electronic pop sounds with a more traditional (and may I say quite Turkish) folk song-structure he has come up with a formula that has won him over ten years of success. This compilation has been lovingly compiled from his masses of material and shows off the breadth of his style from manic hi-octane pop to slow traditional ballads, and all of it is simply unbeatable. Maybe it's the tape saturated recordings that get me every time, or that very distinct Arabic flavour, but this record simply needs to be heard to be believed. One minute you'll be listening to foot-stomping dance music and the next you'll be hearing Souleyman wailing his heart out, but at all times it sounds quite happily bonkers. With detailed liner notes including a message from the man himself this is a wonderful package from the Sublime Frequencies folks and is without a doubt one of the oddest treasures I've come across so far this year. Huge recommendation. ~ Boomkat

Souleyman's four Sublime Frequencies albums are similar enough to confuse the lay listener, especially one wary of letting backstory get in the way of the music itself. I tell myself I prefer 2011's Haflat Gharbia because it cherrypicks the non-Syrian performances of a shrewd guy who was by then a world traveler, but I'll never know for sure because it's also the first one I heard, an accident that can sway anyone's judgment. After many tries, I'm pretty sure this is my number two, so I was pleased to learn that it was the first best-of Mark Gergis sorted out for him. I'll also point out that although I fell for the breakneck pace of Haflat Gharbia, here the slow stuff is a respite. Since the subtitle is "Folk and Pop Sounds of Syria," it would seem possible that the slow equals the folk. But Gergis's useful notes make no such distinction. Grade: A MINUS. ~ Robert Christgau