Habibi Funk’s latest compilation is a trip into the Libyan cassette scene of the 1990s. While the collected songs were crafted for clear commercial appeal, designed to soundtrack romantic singalongs during late-night ballads in pre-war Tripoli, the end result achieves something way more complex, accidentally or not, by folding African music back unto itself through a process of re-diasporization.
Category: Habibi Funk
Charif Megarbane :: Hawalat
Charif Megarbane’s prolific schedule of releases via his independent imprint Hisstology looks like a set of Borgesian fantasies or little musical toys that tap into all possible musical traditions. His releases on the much more selective Habibi Funk label, though, are another beast entirely, distilling that beautifully demented potpourri to their essence. Hawalat, the follow-up to 2023’s wondrous Marzipan, is a cosmo-cosmopolitan craftwork, a world tour through a lysergic miniature model. The Lebanese musician, who has lived in Nairobi, Lisbon, London, and other cities around the globe, provides both a self-conscious reflection on the diasporic fluxes he feeds from and a sort of ironic commentary on the transnational dimensions of his own music.
Habibi Funk: The Free Music (Part 1)
The latest installment in the always-winning Habibi Funk series highlights Libyan composer & producer Najib Alhoush’s band, The Free Music. The tellingly titled “Part 1” collection compiles tracks off two 1976 albums from the band, who all in all recorded, and self-funded, ten lps. The premiere selection absolutely smokes—bursting with a technicolor blend of soul, funk, disco, and reggae.
Ferkat Al Ard :: Oghneya
Oghneya is one of the most interesting recent additions to the impressive catalog of Habibi Funk, a label that aims to circulate Arab funk and soul records from the 1960-80s to a global audience. Originally released in 1978 by the Issam Hajali-lead Lebanese trio Ferkat Al Ard, the record maintains the modes and melismas so associated with Arabic music while entertaining cinematic orchestral arrangements within a pop psych-folk compositional framework.
Ahmed Malek :: Autopsie d’un Complot
We’ve found ourselves delving deep into the Habibi Funk series of late and Ahmed Malek’s absolute smoker “Autopsie d’un Complot,” from Habibi Funk 003: Musique Originale De Films, is the most recent to go on repeat. Kicking off with wavy sunshine-psych guitar and giving way to a deeply mischievous bassline and glistening synths, the track stays deep in the pocket for three-and-a-half-minutes of lean, sweltering funk.
The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr :: Nile Waves
Slithering and dangerously funky, “Nile Waves” is a sinister slice of instrumental cool. Chugging drums and woozy saxophone follow lead guitar as the band locks into a humid groove. The steadiness is hypnotizing, the playing unapologetic in its minimalism.
Habibi Funk 015: An Eclectic Selection of Music From The Arab World, Part 2
Eschewing mainstream sounds from the musical spectrum of North Africa and the middle east, this niche collection highlights largely overlooked artists riffing on Egyptian organ funk, Moroccan disco, Lebanese protest music, Libyan reggae, Algerian library music and beyond.