The
German reissue label Habibi Funk delivers vintage, synth-driven
grooves from North Africa and the Middle East, a
genre that Libyan-Egyptian artist Hamid El Shaeri has done better
than nearly anyone. Pitchfork singled out Hamid’s “Ayonha” as
the “most arresting track” on Habibi Funk’s 2017 compilation
release, and
now the label delivers a deeper dive into that era of the
artist’s work. On
Feb. 28, Habibi Funk is putting out a compilation of Hamid El
Shaeri’s early work, originally
released from 1983-'88 on Egypt’s SLAM! records.
To herald the new record, Habibi Funk has launched “Dari Demou’ek,” a dose of dance-floor dynamite to whet the appetite. Check it out right here:
In its ‘80s heyday, SLAM! was one of Egypt’s most successful labels, and while its founder Hany Sabet may have been skeptical about releasing “Ayonha” on a semi-obscure little German imprint, both he and Hamid were excited to present this music to a potentially new audience.
The full album is out Feb. 25 and you can preorder via Bandcamp now.
