Club Tounsi [LP]

Ammar 808 - Club Tounsi [LP]

LP version. Denmark-based Tunisian producer Sofyann Ben Youssef has already created whole new worlds of sound. His startling debut as AMMAR 808 -- 2018's Maghreb United -- fused thumping TR-808 drum machine rhythms and bone-rattling bass with traditional North African folk instrumentalists and vocalists from Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, suggesting a pan-Maghreb science-fiction mash-up worthy of William Burroughs' most fevered dreams. For his latest album -- Club Tounsi -- he sets his sights on home, with an album that investigates and explores the vibrant folk tradition of his native Tunisia. Named after the ancient mezoued goatskin bagpipes that provide the music's sinuous melodies, it's traditionally accompanied by popular singers also backed by clattering hand drums. Originating in the 1950s, when a surge of rural migrants flocked to the capital Tunis in search of work, it's the music of the downtrodden and the underdog, long frowned upon by polite Tunisian society. As AMMAR 808 explains, the music persisted. "It evolved out of that stigmatization and became something that actually speaks to all Tunisians, because it takes its roots from all available music in Tunisia." In Mezoued, you'll find Sufi devotional hymns, malouf melodies, Arabic scales and ancient folksong all part of one repertoire. Although it´s lyrics are preoccupied with hardship and the pain of love, Mezoued music wants to party hard. And rhythm is the key. On Club Tounsi, AMMAR 808 takes this "festive" tradition and reimagines it for the 21st century with pulsating basslines, shimmering synths, crunching distortion and mechanistic drum machine rhythms. Featuring Brahim Riahi, Mahmoud Lahbib, and Mariem Bettouhami. 01. Douri Douri (feat. Brahim Riahi) (4:10)_x000D_ 02. Ah Yallila (feat. Mariem Bettouhami & Mahmoud Lahbib) (3:51)_x000D_ 03. Brobba (feat. Mahmoud Lahbib) (3:36)_x000D_ 04. Lelliri Yamma (feat. Mahmoud Lahbib) (4:21)_x000D_ 05. Aman Aman (feat. Mariem Bettouhami) (4:54)_x000D_ 06. Rakeb Aalhamra (feat. Brahim Riahi) (4:36)_x000D_ 07. Eddayem Allah (feat. Brahim Riahi) (4:21)_x000D_ 08. Tichtiri Cherbak (feat. Mahmoud Lahbib) (3:58)