{"title":"Habibi Funk label","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"habibi-funk-015-an-eclectic-selection-from-the-arab-world-part-2","title":"Habibi Funk 015: An Eclectic Selection From The Arab World, Part 2","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIt is music that historically never existed as a unified musical genre. We think it’s important to make this distinction and to have the listener understand that the majority of the music on this compilation does not come from the highly famous names of the musical spectrum of North Africa and the Middle East. Instead, the final body compiled for this record consists of some – at least for us – nichey pearls and often overlooked artists; resulting in a diverse range of styles from Egyptian organ funk, disco sounds from Morocco, an example of the lively reggae scene of Libya, political songs from Lebanon, soundtrack music from Alge- ria, a musical union between Kenya and Oman, and much more.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe photo we chose for this cover somehow could be seen as an allegory of the sounds we feature on the label. It depicts Algerian composer Ahmed Malek at an ice cream bar dur- ing his stay in Japan for the World Expo in Osaka, 1970. He later said that his visit to Japan and especially the manga culture left a distinctive mark on the way he created his own compositions. With this in mind, it feels as a suiting visual representation for the mu- sic on this\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecompilation.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAccordingly, the compilation you are holding in your hands offers a much wider range of music than just funk influenced sounds. Sure, it brings back Fadoul, who we have already dedicated a full length album to. He was the mystical Moroccan singer who - influenced by the sounds of James Brown- created his own musical vision full of energy but also still very intimate. Another artist we have featured before is Ahmed Malek, the grand Algerian soundtrack composer, whose music is largely connected by a distinct feeling of melancholic beauty or Hamid Al Shaeri, the Egyptian hit producer whose track “Ayonha” was probably the most widely appre-ciated track off our first compilation. But we have also learned that this format of a compilation can serve as a medium to introduce artists to our audience, who we are planning to dedicate full length releases to in the near future, such as Ibrahim Hesnawi. Hesnawi is the father of reggae music in Libya - a genre still widely popular in Libya - and whose presence in the country is commonly connected to the rhyth- mic similarities of reggae with some form of Libyan folkloric music. Nahib Alhoush is another Libyan artist, whose musical output we will spotlight in the near future. In the 1970s, he was the co-founder of Free Music, one of the first Libyan bands introducing western influences into their music. After the band stopped performing together he started an at least equally successful solo career under his own name.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWhen I got into Arabic music around five or six years ago, I knew pretty much nothing about it. Realistically, I still know very, very little about it and I’m by no means an expert. I just had the opportunity to visit the region frequently, trying to learn about music I might like. Most of the bands, I happen to enjoy, were fairly obscure and therefore a lot of the music on this compilation seems to be largely forgotten. After sharing many of the old records and tapes online through mixes, I have realized that there is a huge disparity be- tween the interest in the music on the one hand and its availability on the other.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAll tracks on this compilation are fully licensed, most directly from the artist or in the case of artists, who are deceased licensed from the artist’s family. There are two exceptions: Hamid Al Shaeri’s track was licensed from SLAM! as the label is still active under the name Sonar. Zohra’s “Badala Zamana” from the great Belgian label MTMU, who has reissued this track under license from the producer on 7” format before. As a European label dealing with non- western artists we try to be aware of the responsibilities that derive within the making, regarded from a post-colonial point of view by demanding on ourselves not to reproduce exploitative economic patterns. We split all of the profits from our releases equally with the artists without deducting any costs that are not directly related to the release (e.g. we pay for our research to find an artist as well as all travel costs from our share of the profit). Our agreements are licensed deals with limited terms after which the rights fall back to the artist or the artist’s family. The master rights stay with the artists, we just license them. We do not include publishing rights in our deals. We think it is important in today's reissue market, where too many shady business transactions happen, to be transparent about our licensing policies. We are always available for any questions, requests as well as more detailed information.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003ca data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Capsule Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43682034581752,"sku":"HABIBI015LP","price":33.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0660\/3826\/8152\/products\/habibi.jpg?v=1676894310"},{"product_id":"habibi-funk-007-an-eclectic-selection-of-music-from-the-arab-world","title":"Habibi Funk 007: An Eclectic Selection of Music From The Arab World","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe songs we chose were created in places quite far from another and under very different circumstances. Some were written and recorded during war times, others in exile. Despite the differences we think there is a musical connection between them. Essentially, we are interested in the musical endeavors, in which artists from the Arab world mixed local and regional influences with musical interests that came from outside of the region. Even though the name suggests it’s all about funk music, our focus is more than just that. Often these influences might be inspired from Western popular music such as soul, pop and rock but it’s not limited to that either. Some of our favorite records are best described as Arabic zouk (a genre originating from the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe) like Mallek Mohamed’s music, Algerian coladera (a popular musical style from the Cape Verdean islands) or Lebanese AOR, which means the process of musical influences displayed on this compilation was much more versatile than just taking Western music as a blueprint and translating it with a local accent. The compilation features 15\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003edifferent artists. Some you might already know thru Habibi Funk’s releases like Fadoul, Ahmed Malek, Dalton or Al Massrieen, while others are meant as an introduction to artists like Kamal Keila, Sharhabeel Ahmed, Attarazat Addahabia \u0026amp; Mallek Mohamed who will all release full length albums on Habibi Funk in 2018.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn todays world there are still many stereotypical conceptions to be found when it comes to the Arab world. Contrary to what a lot of Western narratives and media suggest, the Arab world we got to know through extensive traveling in several countries of North Africa and the Middle East, is a very versatile terrain. A place full of different stories, ideas and beliefs. And we hope that the music we release helps as a tiny, tiny piece of a larger puzzle to establish a diverse, more nuanced yet adequate idea of how musically vibrant this very diverse region once has been and also still is. At the same time we do not want anyone to misunderstand this compilation as a selection of songs to represent Arabic musical history of the 1970s and 1980s. This compilation is nothing more than a very personal curation of songs we like and in no way reflects on what has been popular in a general sense.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e","brand":"Capsule Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43682204909816,"sku":"HABIBI007","price":32.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0660\/3826\/8152\/products\/habibif.jpg?v=1676900841"},{"product_id":"free-music-part-1","title":"Free Music (Part 1)","description":"\u003cp\u003eReleasing an astonishing 10 albums, all impressively\n\u003cbr\u003estrong and equally infused by soul, funk, disco and reggae, The Free\n\u003cbr\u003eMusic created a distinctly infectious groove that unfortunately didn_„Žt\n\u003cbr\u003emake an impact outside of Libya due to the complex political situation\n\u003cbr\u003eat the time. There is a reason it says _„ñPart 1_„ in the title.\n\u003cbr\u003eAvid Habibi Funk listeners may be familiar with Libyan composer \/ producer\n\u003cbr\u003eNajib Alhoush, who_„Žs track _„ñYa Aen Daly_„ - the Bee Gee_„Žs _„ñStayin Alive_„\n\u003cbr\u003ecover - was included in our second compilation. While the original track\n\u003cbr\u003enever excited us, Najib_„Žs version managed to strip it from its pop approach\n\u003cbr\u003ethat had taken over disco during the genre`s peak. At that time, disco tracks\n\u003cbr\u003emostly were aiming to appeal to the widest audience possible. Najib had\n\u003cbr\u003eturned the original track into something different and very unique. Upon\n\u003cbr\u003efurther research we found that Najib was actually the singer and founder of\n\u003cbr\u003eThe Free Music band alongside Fakhreddin, Salim Jibreel, Abdulrazzak _„ƒKit-\n\u003cbr\u003eKat_„Ž, Mukhtar Wanis and Mohameed Al Rakibi.\n\u003cbr\u003eInitially, we only licensed Najib Alhoush_„Žs _„ñYa Aen Daly_„ from Yousef\n\u003cbr\u003eAlhoush, Najib_„Žs son, who was pleased to hear that there was interest in his\n\u003cbr\u003efather_„Žs music form someone abroad. In the process of exchanging and\n\u003cbr\u003elearning about Najib_„Žs music and career, our understanding was that The\n\u003cbr\u003eFree Music only recorded the one album. This couldn_„Žt be further from the\n\u003cbr\u003etruth, in fact, there were ten albums produced by the group, all impressively\n\u003cbr\u003ecoherent with a clear influence from disco, soul, funk and reggae.\n\u003cbr\u003eThe Free Music album was probably the longest it ever took us to gather\n\u003cbr\u003einformation, photos and musical source material in a good enough quality to\n\u003cbr\u003ebe reissued. This is largely due to the complicated political situation in\n\u003cbr\u003eLibya, compounded by the fact that Libya is still largely cut off from\n\u003cbr\u003einternational payment systems, so getting an advance payment to the right\n\u003cbr\u003eperson can be a process that takes weeks. The same goes for getting\n\u003cbr\u003emaster tapes to a studio abroad and afterwards back to Libya.\n\u003cbr\u003eWhen we look for music that works under the umbrella of Habibi Funk, we\n\u003cbr\u003eoften come across albums where bands experimented with influences from\n\u003cbr\u003eSoul, Jazz, Funk, Disco and more, usually on a single track or two but then\n\u003cbr\u003ethey often go down to a different path for the rest of the album. This was not\n\u003cbr\u003ethe case for The Free Music. All their albums are fully dedicated to their\n\u003cbr\u003eunique blend of Disco, Reggae and Funk and it feels that when we made\n\u003cbr\u003ethe selection for this album, we could have chosen a completely different\n\u003cbr\u003enumber of tracks and the album would be been equally strong.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Capsule Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43749305876728,"sku":"HABIBI0211","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0660\/3826\/8152\/products\/image_cf6fe65e-aef2-4904-9c00-f8e3208b13e8.jpg?v=1679907989"},{"product_id":"marzipan","title":"Marzipan","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe LP is a journey into Charif's styling, one he terms \"Lebrary\": a vision of Lebanon + Mediterranean expressed through the kaleidoscopic sonics of library music. Drawing from artists that encapsulates the HF sound, such as Ziad Rahbani, Ahmed Malek and Issam Hajali, Charif translates these influences into an LP that is equally at home in '23. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Capsule Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43896896389368,"sku":"HABIBI0231","price":26.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0660\/3826\/8152\/products\/image_d697625c-95e4-4d26-bc2c-02a87ab05ec4.jpg?v=1687343411"},{"product_id":"subhana","title":"Subhana","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe tracks on the LP represent a blisteringly deep collection of heavy reggae rhythms and synthesised grooves from a singular creative force, inspired as much from Jamaican sonics as from Libyan folkloric styles, as Ahmed says, \"it's the Libyan style, not some bullshit.\" As always, both vinyl and CD come with an extensive booklet featuring background on Ahmed, including unseen photos, scans and more.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Capsule Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43919783821560,"sku":"HABIBI0221","price":16.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0660\/3826\/8152\/files\/image_e0612b88-af5d-421b-9b5e-74e5c99fad1a.jpg?v=1689160758"},{"product_id":"jazz-jazz-jazz","title":"Jazz, Jazz, Jazz","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe music is a unique combination of incredible horn arrangements powerfully performed, a vigorous drummer contributing a funky backbone and Seif's vocals uniting those elements. The results range from instrumental tracks awaking memories of 1970s crime thriller soundtracks to more Sudanese-rooted tracks, a lot of them modernized versions traditional rhythms of the diverse regions of Sudan and even an excursion into Colgolese Soukouss.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe re-release was produced with a clean copy of the vinyl version as a source. The original reel tape of the album stayed with Saif Abu Bakr along with another reel with other recordings that were never released. Unfortunately it was lost when Saif Abu Bakr had to flee to Kuwait temporarily during the second gulf war when Iraq raided Kuwait. Both the CD and vinyl version come with extensive booklets with photos, interviews, liner notes. The vinyl version also has a DL code.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Capsule Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43929533907192,"sku":"HABIBI009LP","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0660\/3826\/8152\/files\/cover_f712a1c8-656d-48f2-bdd5-38c0aeef70f5.jpg?v=1689847506"},{"product_id":"the-father-of-lybian-reggae","title":"The Father Of Lybian Reggae","description":"\u003cp\u003eFeatured on Habibi Funk's last compilation (HABIBI015) with his track \"Tendme,\" Hesnawi crafts restless funk with evident buttressing from a reggae foundation. Highlighted across the LP is how Hesnawi essentially pioneered such an effortless synthesis between traditional Libyan music and Jamaican reggae stylings, plus the endlessly disparate funk, jazz, and disco accents which firmly situate Hesnawi in a league of his own. LP out everywhere October 6th.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSome years ago, we started a Facebook group named after our label \"Habibi Funk\" with the idea to create a space where everyone could share music they felt fit under this umbrella, one way or another. One day a Greek member, Thanasis Moutsopoulos, shared a photo of a vinyl record he found at the Monastiraki flea market in Athens, Greece. It was by a Libyan artist named Ibrahim Hesnawi and called \"Hesnawi And Peace.\" At this point we had never heard of the artist and Thanasis was nice enough to record the album for us. We were immediately electrified by what we heard: A whole album full of classic reggae with some light touches of funk and disco here and there which Hesnawi had recorded in Italy more than 4 decades prior. We eventually decided we would love to learn more about reggae in Libya, and a mutual friend introduced us to Ahmed Abujazia, who was born and still living in Tripolis; through a shared appreciation of music, he agreed to help us work on the project. We asked around and eventually managed to get Ibrahim Hesnawi's telephone number. A few weeks later, Ahmed met Ibrahim in person and proposed our project. Hesnawi was happy to work on a rerelease of his music with us.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Capsule Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44101754355960,"sku":"HABIBI024LP","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0660\/3826\/8152\/files\/image_d6e9ec57-a26e-4a2b-8ead-a709813c1aa0.jpg?v=1698312668"},{"product_id":"chant-amazigh","title":"Chant Amazigh","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"sc-nZgfj cMZhNU\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"sc-xwuxA dcMcCG\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-testid=\"description-product\" class=\"sc-gsFSXq sc-cepbVR beyRpH SwJxm\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBorn in Kabylie, Algeria - a place that remains fundamental to his career - Majid Soula is a self-made musician, artist and producer. With no formal music education, Majid's tenacity has led to a career that is still blossoming. His synths, driving drums, guitar \u0026amp; strong lyrics make a unique sound. A strong proponent for the rights of the Amazigh, he has a band that to this day plays shows, most linked to cultural events of the Amazigh diaspora in France, as well as in Belgium, Russia the UK and Sweden. He was part of a new wave of widely popular and successful Kabyle artists in the 1980s, such as Ait Menguellet, Lounès Matoub, Takfarinas, Idir and many more.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHabibi Funk as a label is dedicated to re-releasing music from\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Arab World\u003c\/i\u003e, but this release shows how reductive this term can be, as the countries from North Africa and West Asia being summarized under this term include a vast number of languages and identities. Obviously, headlines sometimes come with limited space, and one can't avoid using terms that paint a half-finished picture. That being the case, however, we are even more happy that Majid Soula liked our idea to work on a release of a selection of his music with us. The tracks here are incredible and need to be introduced to a new generation of listeners.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFor Majid Soula music is more than just entertainment. He considers himself an activist through music, and foremost a \"chanteur engagé\", as he says of himself: \"I take my inspiration from the daily life of my people and I share all their aspirations, mainly the official recognition of Tamazight as a language, culture and identity.\"\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHe still works on new music in his small home studio in Belleville and occasionally plays concerts for the Amazigh community of the city.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWe sincerely hope that for you reading this and listening to Majid's album, his music will have the same revelatory feeling it had on us, and that this will be part of a momentum that will allow Majid to keep on working, playing, and sharing his message for many years to come.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"sc-kAyceB iYbJZw sc-jsFtja dnSEpU\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"sc-gNXrtx cMHntX\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Capsule Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44256228409592,"sku":"HABIBI0171","price":27.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0660\/3826\/8152\/files\/image_be25c0bb-bd41-4523-9151-fa3f40c6784b.jpg?v=1702464740"},{"product_id":"musique-original-de-films-volume-deux","title":"Musique Original De Films, Volume Deux","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhenever an interview asks about a \"memorable moment\" in Habibi Funk label history, one we always reference is how we got in touch Ahmed Malek's (22K Spotify Followers, 285K Spotify Monthly Listeners) music and subsequently his family. It all started with us coming across Ahmed Malek's music on YouTube in 2012. We were mesmerized by how effortlessly the music would switch between jazz, funk and Algerian folk while counterweighting it with an undertone of melancholia. Musical perception is different for every person, but there is a chance that his music will touch you in one way or another. At the time, we had just started the Habibi Funk label and we felt Ahmed's music might be a good fit for the sound we were trying to highlight. Fast forward three years: we had become captivated with the idea of reissuing some of Ahmed Malek's music. We knew some people had tried to locate his family but, but with no success. In the end it was an incredible amount of luck that made it possible for you to read these words and listen to Ahmed's music. We were on a DJ gig in Beirut playing old Arabic records and we mentioned our passion for Ahmed Malek's music to a friend. She said she knew one person in Algier, and as much as it would be a shot in the dark, she could ask her if she had an idea of how to find Malek's family. Two weeks went by before we heard back, and what we got was incredibly good news - her Algerian friend was the neighbor of Ahmed Malek's daughter! We're not spiritual people, but it felt like the universe wanted to see the release happen. We started to speak with Henya, Ahmed Malek's daughter and she was more than happy with our idea. She assured us that her father would have loved the plan as well. She provided us with tons of awesome material, from great photos, to unseen video footage and unreleased tracks. Eventually we visited Henya in Algeria and we licensed some of her father's music, first for one (Habibi 003), then for another (Habibi 005), then we eventually organized an exhibition in June\/July 2019 – Planète Malek – Une Rétrospective – at the Musée Public National D'Art Moderne \u0026amp; Contemporain in Algiers, focusing on Ahmed Malek's artistic life. We also produced a small movie about him that our friend Paloma Colombe shot and directed. \"Musique Originale de Films, Volume Deux\" is a deep collection of unreleased songs and stemmed grooves from the Algerian master, from jazz, funk, psych to reggae rhythms and Latin flavors, all under the sonic umbrella of \"Planète Malek;\" and to quote the maestro, \"I didn't choose music, music chose me.\" Lead single is the subtlety funky \"Thème Rythme Léger,\" out May 3rd along with LP Pre-Order (coincided with Bandcamp Friday for a larger impact) a delicate sonic dance between flute, piano and Spanish guitar with a Bossainfluenced groove. The steady, swingin' drum groove is cloudlike - definitely toe-tapping friendly so just grab a partner to feel the Rhythme Léger. Second single out May 17th is the reggae-infused \"L'Empire Des Rêves\" – a sultry sax melody weaves through a prismatic rocksteady thematic groove. 3rd and final single \"Thème Djalti feat. Aïda Guéchoud\" – is a true Western-inspired ode to his Italian counterpart Ennio Morricone. \"Thème Djalti\" features the haunting vocals of Aïda Guéchoud, and combines elements of baroque and Bossa-jazz in a timelessly thematic way that seems grandiose yet remains uniquely personal to your ears. Swelling strings, trumpet, fem vox, flute, and plucked guitar expertly arranged, feels like you're riding a horse into the sunset. Focus track \"La La La\" is fiery afro-arab-funk of the highest order! Put on your dancing shoes as Ahmed cuts the rug and gets us grooving along. Sonically the cut sounds like if Ahmed ran into The JB's and Fela Kuti at a Cymande concert. Driving guitar and organ solos vie over pulsating bass riffs and afro-funk drumming that'll have you out on the dance floor in no time. As always, both vinyl and CD come with an extensive booklet featuring background and interviews with Ahmed compiled through found newspaper clippings and newsreels, also including unseen photos, scans and more. \"Ahmed Malek: Musique Originale de Films, Volume Deux\" will be out everywhere June 28th.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Capsule Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45119613468920,"sku":"HABIBI0271","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0660\/3826\/8152\/files\/cover_1b122b84-bd93-47cc-a439-071923713fcf.jpg?v=1715849191"},{"product_id":"release-date-25-07-25-habibi-funk-a-selection-from-libyan-tapes","title":"Habibi Funk: A Selection From Libyan Tapes (2LP)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis compilation isn't a sweeping history of Libyan music — it's a personal journey into the sounds we fell in love with while digging through tapes, conversations, and stories across Libya and beyond. Rather than spotlighting the country's most famous musical exports, the compilation brings forward a mix of overlooked gems and local classics of the cassette era: artists whose work thrived despite political limitations, and scarce international exposure. The music featured here blends reggae rhythms, synthy disco grooves, gritty pop, house, and funk, a vibrant collision of genres that reflects Libya's unique sonic landscape from the 1980s to the early 2000s. Many of these recordings were recovered from the TK7 cassette factory in Sousse, Tunisia, a now-demolished site that once played a quiet but vital role in distributing and manufacturing Libyan music. Other tracks were digitised in a Cairo hotel room in 2021, where we transferred nearly 100 tapes over the course of three days, on-site using a high-grade cassette deck brought into Egypt with us. From that trove emerged artists like Ahmed Ben Ali, Cheb Bakr, and Najib Alhoush \u0026amp; The Free Music, who have already featured on our earlier releases. Their sounds sit alongside contributions from this release from the likes of Khaled Al Melody, Fathi Aldiyqz \u0026amp; Sons of Africa Band, City Lights Band, Libya Music Band, and Group Hewaya. During this era, Independent artists relied on makeshift home studios or travelled abroad to record in Tunisia and Egypt, gradually building their own infrastructures for creativity. By the 90s and early 2000s, as access to digital equipment increased, a few of the artists began setting up their own studios — a shift that gave rise to a more self-sufficient recording culture across the country. The resulting sounds are anything but homogeneous. They reflect Libya's geographic and cultural crossroads: North African rhythms meet Arab melodies and deep African roots. Reggae, in particular, took on a local Libyan flavour — not just musically, through the slowed-down cadence of traditional shaabi beats, but socially, as a vehicle for expressing identity and pride. What ties all the artists on this comp together is a boundary- pushing approach to genre and style: recorded in small studios, exchanged by hand, and shaped by a cross-pollination of influences, from Benghazi to Tripoli and beyond. All tracks are licensed from their creators and in the case of the artists being deceased from their estates. All profits are being split 50:50 between us in the licensors and ownership remains with the creators, we only licensed the music.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Capsule Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56467207881085,"sku":"HABIBI0311","price":32.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0660\/3826\/8152\/files\/a0933768371_16.jpg?v=1752741008"},{"product_id":"fine-anyway","title":"Fine Anyway","description":"\u003cp\u003eSome were circulated on hand copied cassettes among friends, others like \"Had To Come Back Wet\" were never released. His music effortlessly combines folk with touches of jazz and soul. He wrote, composed and arranged all songs. While working on his own music he also played for Ziad Rahbani, Fairouz and other musicians.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen we first heard Roger's music we were blown away! The music was a mixture of folk with touches of other genres. Maybe one could also refer to it as \"singer-songwriter\", since all of the songs were Roger's own compositions. Songs of unique beauty both musically as well as lyrically. At the same time they gave me the feeling of them being somehow time and space isolated capsules. Nothing really revealed, where they could've been recorded and without knowing it was Beirut, my first guess maybe would have rather been California, sometime in the 1970s. The immersive effect of his compositions and voice are just incredible. I was stunned and proposed Roger to work on a re-release, which he politely declined, saying he had no interest in this music being reissued.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Capsule Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56941940834685,"sku":"HABIBI0161","price":22.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0660\/3826\/8152\/files\/a2697031363_16.jpg?v=1758118945"},{"product_id":"hawalat","title":"Hawalat","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis spirit of creative movement is embodied in the album's amalgamative nature, featuring contributions from an international lineup of artists, including London-based jazz vocalist Sahra Gure, Italian-Tunisian singer LNDFK, Neapolitan pianist Dario Bassolino, Berlin beatmaker and violinist FloFilz, and an 18-piece orchestral arrangement by Swedish composer Sven Wunder. Recorded across multiple locations, from Beirut to Brooklyn, Stockholm to a rural French commune, the album's sonic journey mirrors its thematic premise. Musically, the track list of Hawalat travels through a varied journey of textures and temperaments.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Capsule Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57159733969277,"sku":"HABIBI0301","price":32.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0660\/3826\/8152\/files\/a3034887417_16.jpg?v=1760347150"},{"product_id":"sharhabil-ahmed-the-king-of-sudanese-jazz","title":"Sharhabil Ahmed - The King of Sudanese Jazz","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;\"\u003eSonically it sounds very different from what Jazz is understood to sound like outside of Sudan. It's an incredible unique mix of rock'n'roll, funk, surf, traditional sudanese music and influences from Congolese sounds. Original copies of Sharhabil recordings are often hard to find, so great they will now be widely available.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: large;\"\u003eSharhabil was born in 1935 and he is the founding father of the Sudanese Jazz scene. His aim was to modernize Sudanese music by bringing it together with western influences and instrumentation like he summarized it himself in a 2004 interview for \"Al Ahram Weekly\": \"[...]Haqiba music, you know, was traditional vocal music with little accompaniment beyond a tambourine. When our generation came in the 1960s, we came with a new style. It was a time of worldwide revolution in music. In Europe, the rhythms of swing and tango were being replaced by jazz, samba, rock- and-roll. We were influenced by this rejuvenation in Sudan, too. I started out by learning to play the oud and traditional Sudanese music, and got a diploma from the music institute of Khartoum University. But my ambition was to develop something new. For this, the guitar seemed like the best instrument. Western instruments can approximate the scales of Sudanese music very well. After all, a lot of Western music is originally from Africa. I have absorbed different influences, from traditional Sudanese rhythms to calypso and jazz, and I hold them together in my music with no difficulty.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Capsule Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57551352267133,"sku":"HABIBI013","price":23.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0660\/3826\/8152\/files\/a3893589837_16.jpg?v=1765449726"},{"product_id":"release-date-20-03-26-tirakat","title":"Tirakat","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhat connects the two is not genre alone, but a shared musical vocabulary shaped by overlapping histories, references and lived cultural continuities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe relationship between Indonesia and the Arab world stretches back over a thousand years, forged through Indian Ocean trade routes that carried not only goods, but languages, belief systems, instruments and musical ideas. These exchanges were gradually absorbed into local traditions rather than replacing them. In Indonesia, Arabic musical elements entered through devotional practices and ensemble formats such as Gambus, Qasidah and Orkes Melayu, where maqām-derived melodic structures were adapted into local tuning systems and performance styles. Over time, these sounds became embedded within Indonesian popular music, shaping genres such as dangdut and informing a wider sonic landscape that remains audible today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRather than approaching collaboration as stylistic fusion, ‘Tirakat’ reflects this long process of accumulation and adaptation. The album draws on sedimented musical histories while remaining grounded in a contemporary, shared, performance-led approach to making music. Most instruments used are Western in origin, yet they are played through techniques and sensibilities shaped in Indonesia and Lebanon, underscoring the album’s interest in circulation rather than purity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe title ‘Tirakat’ refers to a Javanese practice of discipline, patience and devotion in pursuit of a deeper goal. Derived from the Arabic tariqa (‘path’ or ‘method’), the term mirrors the album’s conceptual grounding. ‘Tirakat’ is not about reconstructing the past, but about acknowledging how inherited\n\u003cbr\u003ereferences continue to shape contemporary expression.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Capsule Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57871425175933,"sku":"HABIBI034LP","price":24.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0660\/3826\/8152\/files\/a0206727659_16.jpg?v=1772100513"}],"url":"https:\/\/capsulerecords.co.uk\/collections\/habibi-funk-label.oembed","provider":"Capsule Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}