Habibi Funk Germany レコード& CD

Review: Late 70s funk fusion from Tunisia: capturing the moment leading Tunis bands Dalton and Marhaba Band joined forces for some legendary disco fusion. "Alech" ignites with a Doobie Brothers style shiny guitar, big slap bass and soaring synth work while "Hanen" is a little more introspective and soulful with its honeyed harmonies and cascading chord sequence. Complete with instrumentals.

Review: Habibi Funk co-founder Jannis Stuertz first came across "the Holy Grail of Sudanese funk", Saif Abu Bakr and The Scorpions "Jazz, Jazz, Jazz", while browsing eBay listings a few years back. His interest piqued, he took a trip to Sudan to track down the musicians who had made a ridiculously rare LP that was changing hands for thousands of pounds online. Some four years later, his wish to reissue the set has finally come through. It was originally recorded in Kuwait in 1980 and brilliantly joins the dots between American funk, soul and rhythm and blues, traditional Sudanese vocals and rhythmic arrangements, and even a dash of Congolese soukkous. It's the first full album Habibi Funk has reissued, and with good reason: it's near perfect from start to finish.

Review: Habibi Funk present a legendary Lebanese work from Issam Hajali's group Ferkat Al Ard. This groundbreaking release from 1978 is a truly international affair, as Arab, jazz, folk and Brazilian styles criss-cross with flair under the arrangement guidance of Ziad Rahbani. The sound moves between pop and psych to touches of bossa nova and tropicalia. For diggers who have been after this record for some time, it's worth noting the band insisted on two tracks being excluded which were on the original version, but they have been replaced by the equally stunning 'Juma;a 6 Hziran'. This is a gem of Lebanese musical history, and a quintessential release in the ever-essential research undertaken by Habibi Funk.

Review: Maha was the vocalist with Salah Ragab's Cairo jazz band and in 1979 she recorded this somehow completely unknown album. It is a real world music gem that previously only came on cassette, and features production from Hany Shenoda of Al Massrieen. It mixes up plenty of Egyptian musical traditions with jazz, funk, soul and Latin influences. There's a string-laced serenity to 'Kabl Ma Nessallem We Nemshy' and 'Ala Shat El Nesyan' which stand out as particular highlights. Maha left music behind in the mid-1980s for a different life, which in this evidence suggests the jazz scene lost a great one.