Folk 237 Items

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the reissue of Ziad Rahbani's cult album, "Bennesbeh Labokra...Chou?" released in Lebanon only and mixing arabic music with Jazz, Bossa Nova and other western influences. Hailed as an absolute classic, the album is the soundtrack to his eponymous play and has been highly sought-after by DJs and collectors around the world. Curated by Lebanese-born music expert Mario Choueiry from Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, the album is reissued on vinyl for the first time since 1978, featuring original gatefold sleeve, remastered audio and a 2 page insert with a new introduction by Choueiry. When Ziad Rahbani released "Bennesbeh Labokra... Chou?" he was only 22 years old. He had started to make an impression on the Lebanese cultural scene a few years before, while still a teenager, composing and releasing albums under his own name. Born into an illustrious musical family - his mother is the legendary Lebanese Diva Fairuz and his father, Assi Rahbani, was a renowned composer and part of one of the most famous Lebanese groups, The Rahbani Brothers - Ziad quickly gained exposure as a gifted composer and producer. When his father fell ill in the mid 70s, he took over as Fairuz's producer which led to a fruitful collaboration starting with the 1979 album "Wahdon." ?Highly influenced by other genres of music, Rahbani had started bringing modern western influences to traditional arabic music. 1978 saw the release of two key albums by the young musician, the Disco 12-inch "Abu Ali" which went on to become one of the most sought-after Arabic albums on the international DJ scene and "Bennesbeh Labokra... Chou?" which follows "Abu Ali" closely in many diggers' want-list. ?A soundtrack to Rahbani's eponymous play, the album "Bennesbeh Labokra… Chou?" gathers all the musical interludes heard during the play, a social diatribe about the Beirut society underlining the difficulties of living in the tense social and political climate of the Lebanese civil war. Written by and starring Rahbani, the play follows the everyday life and problems of a young couple running a cafe in the heart of Beirut. The play underlying Rahbani's leftist sensitivity was an immense success and the album was released the same year (the complete play was also released over three LPs). ?"Bennesbeh Labokra… Chou?" is a skilful blend of Arabic music and Bossa-nova ("First Introduction" - the recurring theme of the album), groove with the funky beat of "Second Introduction" and the jazz vibe of "Variation 3" and "Variation 4." It's also interesting to hear an early version of "Al Bosta" which would grace Fairuz's 1979 album "Wahdon" in a faster, funkier version also produced by Rahbani." ?with a knack for cinematic orchestrations reminiscent of Lalo Schifrin, Ziad Rahbani also brings more complex arrangements to the album on such tracks as "Variation 5" making the album such a rich listening. Undoubtedly one of the most important albums recorded in the Middle East which Wewantsounds is glad to reissue in its full glory with remastered audio and original artwork.

Quantity: 5500
Release type: RSD Exclusive Release

2nd LP contains all of the session outtakes, included in the 2006 4CD box set The Complete Atlantic Sessions.

Obscure Dutch private pressing from 1977. Laid-back instrumental psychedelic / progressive sounds with jazz-funk-groove and abstract / experimental / Latin-indigenous touches. Stoned homemade atmosphere with treated / distorted electric & acoustic guitars, flute, electric piano, primitive drum machines / homemade electronics...Much in the vein of the experimental-underground scene of France & Germany during the early 70s but actually recorded and released in Holland.
Wild Havana was the project of guitar player Johan Smith, helped by his brother Cor on flute. Influenced by artists like Zappa and Herbie Hancock, Johan recorded the “Wild Havana” album at his home studio on a 4-track, using effect devices developed by himself, like a modified proto-drum machine taken from a Hammond organ. He also used effects like phase shifter, chorus, etc and experimented with putting wool on the guitar strings and electric effects on the mandolin. The result sounded like nothing else at the time.
Buried for many years, we’re excited to bring to life this unique album.

Wau Wau Collectif's second album, Mariage, is instilled with a newfound sense of purpose. Expanding upon the inspirational themes of their acclaimed 2021 debut, Yaral Sa Doom (Educate The Young), this long distance collaboration from musicians in Senegal and Sweden's Karl Jonas Winqvist is an even more stylistically expansive affair Joyful children's songs collide with fuzzy guitar solos and thumping hip-hop beats. Shimmering synths lift off from the plunky percussion of the balafon and versatile sounds of the 22-string kora. Familiar voices from the first album return with more explicitly political lyrics, while the music feels both rhythmically dense and sonically weightless, flowing from one spellbinding moment to the next. For Mariage, band members from each country were inspired to include a wider array of instrumental flourishes unique to their cross-continental collaboration. "Yay Balma" revolves around the cycling riffs of Jango Diabaté's xalam guitar, as this song's fuzzy tones and soaring sax solos open side two with a bang. "Pitchi Goubidi" provides a stark contrast, with the kora played like a harp and Gilbert Badji's gravelly lyrics about "the bird of the night" disappearing into dubbed-out chamber pop. Winqvist's omnichord hovers back into focus on "Yonou Natangue," a free-floating jam that maintains the messages of Wau Wau Collectif's debut, promoting youth education to address the social issues facing contemporary Senegal: "Peace is the better wealth / The way to wander."

Cult Classic BY Often-sampled Arabic Diva Warda Recorded IN 1973 With Full Egyptian Orchestra ON THE Label Soutelphan. Reissued ON Vinyl FOR THE First Time, With Remastered Audio, Original Artwork AND TWO Page Insert With NEW Introduction

Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue 'Khalik Hena' recorded 1973 by legendary Arabic Diva Warda who has been sampled by Jay Z and J Dilla. The album recorded in public mixes traditional Arabic music with a tinge of 70s grooves. Here Warda delivers a hypnotic performance backed by her full-size orchestra featuring those unparalleled Arabic strings that made recordings by Oum Khalthoum, Farid El Atrache and Abdel Halim Hafez so famous. 'Khalik Hena' is one of her all-time classics, written by legendary composer Baligh Hamdi and the audio has been newly remastered. This release features the LP original artwork with a 2 page insert featuring a new introduction by Mario Choueiry from Institut du Monde Arabe who curates Wewantsounds' Arabic series of reissues.

Warda is one of the undisputed divas of the Arab world. Born in the Paris suburb from an Algerian Father and a Lebanese mother, she was discovered at 11 by Ahmed Hachlaf, Pathe Marconi's heads of A&R specialising in Arabic music. having honed her singing skills at her father's cabaret in the Latin Quarter, the Tam-Tam (for Tunisia - Algeria - Morocco) she quickly found recognition in the Arabic music circles.

The family relocated to Beirut in the late 50s after the police found arms in her father's cabaret destined to the political group fighting for Algeria's independence and was swiftly discovered there by an Egyptian film producer who brought her to Cairo to record and play in his films. From there, her career took a meteoric rise and she became a star working with Egyptian such stars as Abdel Halim Hafez and composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab.

However, in the early 60s a traditional marriage in Algeria stopped her career for a decade to be a housewife until Algerian President Boumediene asked her to perform for the 10th anniversary of the Nation's independence in 1972. This was an epiphany and after a divorce she was back to Egypt for a triumphant comeback.

'Khalik Hena' recorded in public in 1973 dates back to these glory days. Teaming up with her new husband, legendary composer Baligh Hamdi, she recorded a string of classic albums - hypnotic tour-de-forces stretching over two sides in an almost trance-like mode, enhancing Warda's powerful vocal and ability to mesmerise audiences. Blending traditional and modern instrumentations (electric guitar, organ), the music is both complex and groovy, 'Khalik Hena' is one of her best LPs, sought after by Arabic diggers and collectors alike. An undisputed classic of Arabic Music, which Wewantsounds is glad to reissue on vinyl for the first time since the 70s.

Uzelli Psychedelic Anadolu is a brand new product from Uzelli label, based in Turkey. Uzelli was established as a cassette label in Frankfurt in 1974 and since its beginnings was bringing Turkish music to Turkish people in their homeland and Germany. Produced more than thousand of albums of various artists from genres as arabesque, tavern, arabic music, psychedelic pop and rock, bellydance, Turkish classical music and folk.
Following a big international demand for original and obscure Turkish music from 70s and 80s, Uzelli selected tracks from their archive and brought them together as a compilation of psychedelic sounds of famous and unknown artists of Turkey. Compilation consists of highly popular names such as Erkin Koray or Ünol Büyükgönenç from legendary KardaÅ?lar band as well as undiscovered talents of vintage Turkish pop, rock and folk - Akbaba Akilisi, Zor Beyler, Kerem Güney, AÅ?ık Emrah, Elvan Sevil, NeÅ?e Alkan and Ali Ayhan. All tracks were recorded and produced by Uzelli between 1975 and 1984. Most of the tracks were never released on any other source than cassette. Uzelli brings them on vinyl, CD and digital. Compilation consists of 10 tracks plus 1 hidden track - all remastered by Emil Berliner Studio in Berlin. The design of the release was created to follow the original style of Uzelli's cassette covers' style from 70s and 80s.
Uzelli Psychedelic Anadolu is a first production that initiates a new project of Uzelli - creation of series of compilations and albums from its vast archive. Bringing original, undiscovered sounds from Turkey to worldwide music amatours is a main goal of the production. The project is created by international crew - curated by Polish music explorer and digger, esthetically redesigned by Polish artist, backed by Turkish researcher, American ethnomusicologist, Israeli and German DJs and producers. All production and management of the project takes place in Istanbul, in the headquaters of Uzelli company. All this make the production awaited by many music and culture networks all around the world.

Uzelli Kaset was established in 1971 by Muammer and Yavuz Uzelli in Frankfurt, Germany. Their music resonated not only with the longing that Gastarbeiter (guest workers) felt for the homelands and families they had left behind and the melancholy brought by their difficult living and working conditions in Germany, but also with the joy that welled up at village weddings on their days off, and the long car or train journeys home. Reaching the remotest corners of Germany as well as Turkey, Uzelli Kaset was soon more than just a music company; it became a companion to Turkish workers living far from home. Not counting the handful of 8-track tapes and 14 LPs released in the early days, the catalog consisted entirely of cassettes.
When they opened their Istanbul office in 1977, Uzelli moved beyond production and became successful in the areas of reproduction, distribution and marketing. Taking the catalogs of other production companies under its umbrella, it continued its rapid growth.
The 90s became the CD decade, and because Uzelli Kaset had not released its catalog in CD format, hundreds of albums remained unavailable to an entire new generation. Because the albums had not been released in LP form either, musical explorers ran into the same problem. Remaining active and serving in various areas of the music industry, Uzelli carefully preserved its visual, audio and document archives, ensuring their survival to the present day.
After an immense amount of work, this catalog, which had long awaited discovery by new generations, was finally released in digital format. For record collectors seeking the spirit of those times, we also began offering this special selection of compilation albums in vinyl format. As we created this series, our goal was to guide listeners toward new discoveries, and open new pages for music lovers to explore. Leaving our rich, multifaceted catalog to genuine musicians, curators and artists, our desire became to approach the recordings of that period from a different perspective.
We are overjoyed to know that our continuing meticulous work will bear fruits whose taste and aroma have been long forgotten.
Uzelli

180g Colored Vinyl! Hand-picked titles by Françoise Hardy, France Gall. Annie Philippe, Elsa, Violaine, Pussy Cat, Brigitte Bardot, Delphine and Liz Brady!

A variety of Voodoo Rhythm artists pay tribute to The
Monsters! Featured acts include Urban Junior, King Automatic,
The Devils, Roy And The Devils Motorcycle, Delaney Davidson,
The Seniles, Rolando Bruno, Sudden Infant and others.

2024 restock. Sky Girl is a mysteriously unshakeable companion, a deeply melancholic and sentimental journey through folk-pop, new wave and art music micro presses that span 1961-1991. It's a DIY collection of different genres, from different countries across different decades, that are all bound by the same longing sentiment. A concept compilation! A seemingly disparate suite of selections of forgotten fables by more or less never-knowns, Sky Girl forms a beautifully coherent and utterly sublime whole deftly compiled by French collectors DJ Sundae and Julien Dechery. From Scott Seskind's adolescent musical road movie to Karen Marks' icy Oz-wave, the charming DIY storytelling of Italian-American go-getter Joe Tossini and the ethereal slow dance themes of Parisian artists Nini Raviolette and Hugo Weris, Sky Girl resonates on a wide spectrum historically, geographically and stylistically. It unites in a singular, longing, almost intangible ambience. If the names sound wholly unfamiliar that doesn't matter, the nature of the compositions swiftly nurtures an intimacy with these lonely, poignant, openhearted wanderers. Most were available in a very limited capacity at the time of their release, some were never really released at all - Gary Davenport declined to release "Sarra" after he split with the girl for whom the track is named - years later a friend convinced Davenport to allow him to put 100 copies online to sell and DJ Sundae was quick enough to snare one. Beyond their scarcity, these tracks are bound together by a certain raw beauty that's achievable when music is made and no one is listening. Sky Girl comprises of fifteen officially licensed songs, a two year international scavenger hunt through long-folded home label operations, the depths of internet forums and traceless acetates. Both compilers are well trained record sleuths - DJ Sundae's labels Hollie and Idle Press have reissued Arthur Russell affiliate Nirosta Steel and DIY relic Pitch, while Julien Dechery previously compiled Fire Star, a retrospective on Tamil film composer Ilaiyaraaja, for Bombay Connection. Released by popular NTS show "Noise In My Head" offshoot Efficient Space, Sky Girl is enriched with artwork from Perks and Mini mutant Misha Hollenbach and appropriately elegant sleeve notes courtesy of Ivan Smagghe. Includes digital download. Also features: Linda Smith, Bruce Langhorne, The Seraphims, Some of My Best Friends Are Canadians, The Rising Storm, Warfield Spillers, Joyce Heath, Angel, Nora Guthrie and Once.

Death Is Not The End presents a limited LP pressing of their collection of haunted, brooding flamenco recordings taken from the early 1900s through to the late 1930s. Focussing in on the cante jondo (or "deep song") style, seen as the original manifestation of flamenco singing - from which other elements emerged, such as dancing and playing - this survey captures and documents tracks from the form's earliest recorded stars.

Powerfull nice grooves from a series that might be beer named: "Acid folk renaissance " – as most of the work here come from the 70s, and a lot from those great years of the UK and US scene where it also seemed like there was plenty of folk in the music as well! A few of these cuts are downright acid , and all are filled with great instrumenta&on – in an approach that's a nice change from some of the more familiar Brit and US manners of the same genera&on. The &tles include, among the others: Nirvana’s Nova Sketch , Fi.y Foot Hose’s Rose, Pyranha ‘s Clepsydre , Kaleidoscope’s Keep your mind open, and more .

Bongo Joe presents "Club Coco", a summary outernational latin and afro rooted music compilation curated by Coco María.

A further exercise in musical curation, Child Of Nature is our latest sonic confluence of self-released tracks from the loners, hippies and outsiders of the 70s and early 80s. A collection of privately pressed music, able to breathe and be created free from the constraints of heavy handed commercialism, yielding a pure vision of artistic expression. Child Of Nature features ten songs of brooding soft rock and psychedelic folk steeped in melancholia. Some ache for better times or past lovers, while others seek spiritual fulfillment or social progress.

A compilation to evoke the raw and unobstructed, to summon the occult, to fundamentally conjure a vivid portrait of our untamed natural environment. Recorded on the north coast of California, Luellen Reese’s ethereal “Silvery Waterfalls” drifts and swirls with electric guitar as her unearthly vocals transcend across a seven minute opus, fit for the golden age of labels like 4AD or Dedicated. “The flowers are dancing just for you …”, Reggie Russell croons over glistening Key Of Creek’s title track “Child Of Nature”, evoking a utopian world of natural harmony free from the present day realities of industrial decay.

Tap into your inner primal being, to embrace wholeheartedly, with frivolity and without reserve, your own child of nature.

Six years after their debut album, Thee Holy Strangers return with their sophomore LP “Diary Of The Shadow”. With a new line-up and a new sound design, they present seven testimonies of an uncertain era and trace its imprints. Drawing on the inexhaustible pool of rock’n’roll, soul and folk, they set up songs for today that speak of resignation and resilience, darkness and light, sadness and hope.

New members of the band are Andreas Lagios (Nightstalker) on bass and Kleon Antoniou (Mode Plagal) on guitar.

“Diary Of The Shadow” includes seven original compositions and was produced by Costas Chrysogelos (Digital Alkemist), Alexis Kalofolias and Dimitris Papanagiotou (Jim Spliff). It was recorded by Costas Chrysogelos and Philip Marinelis at DNA Lab studio in the spring-summer of 2021. The mastering was done by Giannis Christodoulatos at Sweetspot Studio.

The album also features Nikos Fysakis (electric guitar) and Giannis Houstoulakis (pedal steel guitar), members of the group’s previous line-up, Nikos Yousef (musical saw) and Kostis Zouliatis (piano, keyboards, synth).

Thee Holy Strangers are: Flora Ioannidi: Vocals, Alexis Kalofolias (Alex K): Vocals, guitar, Kleon Antoniou: Electric and acoustic guitar, Andreas Lagios: Bass, Costas Chrysogelos: Drums, percussion.

Record Store Day 2021 Release. The Waterboys 1990 single has been remixed for 2021, featuring new vocals by Mike Scott. This new version is bring released as new single ahead of an upcoming multi disc box set of the album ‘Room To Roam’. The track was

This album sound like a top of then line country music record for one reason only: The Countyry Side Of Harmonica Sam play their music that way. Harlan Howard famously stated that "all you need write a country song is three chords and the truth". Although he said that right, I believe that delivering the song also takes personality, musicanship, style, and other traits of that nature. In the case of these five Swedish honky-tonk heroes, they have it all. This band is bringing quality back in style, and I don't know about you, but I sure have missed it. Their work is characterized by the high standarts that used to be the very essence of recordings made for Decca Records in Nashville, or Capitol in California, but that somehow got more and more scarce as country music's path went on. I'm sure you will agree that these guys really have a way with a sad song. Their music rings with the sound of heartache, loneliness, and love. It is the kind of love that, whether it is faded, unrequited, or burning with desire, can make one lose his mind and stay out late wandering the streets after closing time. After listening to this record, you might catch youself thinking that being blue might be the most beautiful feeling in the world. Or at least it is when you have such a fine soundtrack to cry along to. Harmonica Sam and his team might be on the "Country Side", but they can't seem to shake off that lonesome feeling called the blues. Theo Lawrence

Includes 12 page booklet. This ancient psychedelic folk with jazzy improvisations from the North West of Greece is unique and will touch your soul so deeply that epirotika aficionados always remember the place and the moment when they got to know this hypnotic and mes-merising music. In a similar way to the music of Alice Coltrane or Mulatu Astatke, it can take you out of the here and now - the pure beauty of the magical epirotika sound can make your mind drift off to otherworldly places.

Tara Jane O'Neil describes her latest album "Self Titled" as a "singer songwriter" endeavor.

At the invitation and by the design of Mark Greenberg (The Coctails), half of this record was recorded mostly live at Wilco’s Loft Studio in Chicago with a band that included James Elkington, Gerald Dowd, Nick Macri, and Greenberg himself. Another half was made in TJO’s home studio in California with Devin Hoff, Wilder Zoby, Walt McClements and string supervisor Jim James. This album also features the voices of Chris Cohen, Carolyn Pennypacker-Riggs and Joan Shelley. Tara Jane ONeil plays guitar, bass, keyboards and percussion.

As a solo artist she has released eight full-length albums internationally. O’Neil was a founding member of Rodan, the Sonora Pine , amongst other ensembles. She has collaborated on recordings and stages with Papa M, Michael Hurley, Little Wings, Marisa Anderson, Catherine Irwin, Mirah, Mount Eerie, and many many others. She has also performed at clubs, galleries, and DIY spaces around the world and venues such as the Centre de Pompdou, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and All Tomorrow’s Parties. She starred in the cult classic film Half-Cocked. Her visual art work has been shown in cities including London, Tokyo and Portland and has been published in three monographs.

Tango with Lions releases her fourth album entitled “you.me.”.

“you.me.” was created in Berlin and recorded in Athens, Greece, between September 2021-January 2022, at Lotus studios with producer Vasilis Dokakis. The nine songs of the album build a tale of reflection on heartbreak and significant life changes, written shortly after the artist’s permanent relocation in Berlin, amid the pandemic.

The lyrics express the need of introspection and of processing the impact of various interactions with different people, time passing and global events. The songs observe, address questions or come to realisations about a different “you”, from the perspective of a different “me” in each tale.

The arrangements are rich in synthesisers, nostalgic bass lines and distinct piano sounds. Some of the songs are built on outgoing beats and instrumentations, other songs are earthly, low-key and acoustic.

Donald Fagen and Walter Becker are two of the most sophisticated minds in the American Pop idiom. Originally broadcast live on Kmet FM, the famous Record Plant Studio concert was part of the 1974 promotional tour for the band's third album "Pretzel Logic". In front of a small audience and backed by a stellar band featuring classy session players like drummer Jeff Porcaro and keyboardist Michael Mc Donald, Fagen and Becker deliver immaculate versions of classic songs including "Do it Again", "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", and "Reelin' In The Years'' and other gems like "Bodhisattva", and "The Boston Rag".