COMING SOON: 2 S.F. RECORD STORE DAY EXCLUSIVES! Both 1st time on LP

SUBLIME FREQUENCIES COMMUNIQUÈ

SUBLIME FREQUENCIES PO BOX 17971 SEATTLE WA 98127 USA

http://www.sublimefrequencies.com

COMING SOON: 

2 S.F. RECORD STORE DAY EXCLUSIVES!

The two Sublime Frequencies' vinyl releases: Omar Souleyman: Jazeera Nights and Pop Yeh Yeh, will be available this Saturday, April 19th at participating Record Store Day shops.

 Not every shop will have particular titles, that is part of the fun. 

Stores cannot hold copies and it is by a first come, first serve basis. 

These are limited editions. 

For more information on Record Store Day: http://www.recordstoreday.com/

Both 1st time on LP 

Available RSD: 19th April, 2014

No Pre-orders 

Available on Record Store Day

OMAR SOULEYMAN: 

Jazeera Nights: 

Folk & Pop Sounds of Syria LP

SF - 055 LP

To hear samples (cd version) and to order from Forced Exposure:

http://beta.forcedexposure.com/Catalog/SF.055CD.html

RSD 2014 release. First time on vinyl. Brand-new limited edition LP version in a heavy tip-on jacket with liner-notes by compiler Mark Gergis. Sublime Frequencies is honored to present Omar Souleyman's third Western collection of tracks. This retrospective features live recordings spanning 15 years of Omar's tireless repertoire, and is rife with frenzied Syrian Dabke (a regional folkloric dance and party music), Iraqi Choubi and a host of Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish styles, among others -- an amalgamation that exemplifies the musical essence of Northeastern Syria. Culled from cassettes recorded between 1995 and 2009, this collection offers a further rare glimpse into Syrian street-level Dabke folk-pop -- a phenomena seldom heard in the West, not previously deemed serious enough for export by the Syrians and rarely, if ever, included on the import agenda of worldwide academic musical committees. Over the years, Souleyman's popularity has risen steadily and the group tirelessly performs concerts throughout Syria and has accepted invitations to perform abroad in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. In 2006, Sublime Frequencies partnered with Omar to release Highway to Hassake, the first compilation of his works to be issued in the West. The success of this release and the video for the song "Leh Jani" helped see Souleyman and his group invited for their first Western tour in 2009 alongside label-mates Group Doueh from the Western Sahara. This successful tour quickly elevated Souleyman to the status of an international legend -- and deservedly so. The original CD release of this album coincided with the beginning of Omar's 2010 international tour.

VA: Pop Yeh Yeh - Psychedelic Rock from Singapore and Malaysia 1964-1970: Vol. 1 2LP

SF - 079 LP

2014 RSD release. Until now, for some unknown reason, the psychedelic rock movement in Singapore and Malaysia, aka Pop Yeh Yeh, has never been given the worldwide attention it deserves. This compilation -- Pop Yeh Yeh - Psychedelic Rock from Singapore and Malaysia - 1964-1970: Vol. 1 -- is the first of its kind to focus solely on the Malay rock groups of this region. The Pop Yeh Yeh era, which took place roughly between the years of 1964 to 1970, coincided with the rapid modernization happening at the time in Singapore and Malaysia. Sublime Frequencies has already released many incredible compilations from neighboring Indonesia, so it's about time that the Malaysian groups got some attention! Pop Yeh Yeh artists instinctively cross-pollinated electric sounds of the West with Malay melodies, and added their own local poetic voice to the lyrics they wrote -- sung in Malay (and sometimes Bawean). The Pop Yeh Yeh musicians started out playing in styles inspired by Western groups like the Beatles and Cliff Richard, but they eventually succeeded in creating a sound all their own -- a sound that is not only accessible to the Western ear, but also retains an undeniable Malay personality. Nearly eight years in the making, this compilation was exhaustively researched and compiled by Carl Hamm and features 26 classic tracks of the very best bands and singers from Singapore and Malaysia's Pop Yeh Yeh era, including M. Osman, Orkes Nirwana, Adnan Othman, A. Halim, Roziah Latiff, and the Jayhawkers, J. Sham, Hasnah Haron, Zaleha Hamid, and many more. This 2LP deluxe edition comes in a gorgeous heavy-duty gatefold jacket with a full-size 12-page full-color booklet packed with insanely extensive liner-notes including band/artist bios, an overview of the era, translated lyrics, and plenty of rare photos taken from vintage magazines, album covers, and the artists' own personal collections.

Track listing (from original cd version)

1. Budi Bahasa (Adnan Othman & The Rhythmn Boys)

2. Kisah Disampang (M. Osman & Orkes Nirwana)

3. Aku Kechewa (Roziah Latiff And The Jayhawkers)

4. Oh Teruna (Fatimah Amin & The Clans)

5. Jangan Goda (Afida Es & The Siglap Boys)

6. Oh Ya Ya - Rajah Ahmad & Dengan Dendang Irama)

7. Temasah Ria (M. Said & Les Remaja)

8. Bersiar Siar (Fabians Boys feat. Halipah)

9. Dara (M. Osman & Les Fentones)

10. Syurga Idaman (A. Rahman Hassan & Orkes Nirwana)

11. Jauh Pandangan (Halim "Janda-Ku" Yatim & The Sangam Boys)

12. Nelayan Bersampan (Zaleha Hamid & The Black Cats)

13. Kasih Tak Sudah (A Ramlie & the Rhythmn Boys)

14. Bersiar di Taman Hiboran (Salim I & The Wisma)

15. Bimban (A. Rahman Hassan & Orkes Nirwana)

16. Mula Bertemu (M. Rahmat & The Teruna)

17. Revolusi (Adnan Othman & The Wanderers)

18. Ayah... Kini ku Bercinta (Nur Azilah & Desa Bersaudara)

19. Kembali Lagi (A. Halim & De'Fictions)

20. Rindu (Siti Zaiton & The Twilite)

21. Bertemasha (Zaleha Hamid & Orkes Zindegi)

22. Sidia Siapa (Noor Hamza & Band Mesra)

23. Surat Ku Untuk Mu (J. Sham & The Wanderers)

24. Kan Hilang Nanti (A. Halim & De'Fictions)

25. Tak Mengapa (A. Rahman Hassan & Orkes Nirwana)

26. Bintang Pujaan (Hasnah Haron & The Spiritual 70s)

3 NEW RELEASES OUT NOW! Choubi Choubi! Folk & Pop Sounds from Iraq Vol. 2 - 2LP / DAVID HARRIS: Small Path Music (with Laurent Jeanneau) DVD / OMAR SOULEYMAN: Dabke 2020: Folk & Pop Sounds of Syria LP

SUBLIME FREQUENCIES COMMUNIQUÈ

SUBLIME FREQUENCIES PO BOX 17971 SEATTLE WA 98127 USA

http://www.sublimefrequencies.com

Choubi Choubi! Folk & Pop Sounds from Iraq Vol. 2 VA 

SF 085LP

In 2005, Sublime Frequencies released Choubi Choubi: Folk and Pop Sounds from Iraq, and in the ensuing years it has become one of the most beloved and venerable titles in their catalog. Now almost 10 years later, this highly-anticipated second volume is finally here. Compiler and producer Mark Gergis has once again put forth a revelatory and poignant collection of Iraq's national folk music. What has happened to Iraq since the 2003 U.S. invasion and eventual occupation? Endless death, destruction and chaos, the complete take-down of a functional and sovereign secular government (regardless of your opinion on that government), puppet installations, contrived sectarian divisions, the wholesale looting of culture, rampant opportunism, and apparently no lessons learned -- all at the Iraqi people's expense. Naturally, music has continued to be produced in Iraq -- however, since 2003, musicians and artists have been consistently targeted and attacked by extremists, who have also bombed music shops and forced the closing of venues and music halls. The musical style most prominently focused on in this volume is the infamous Iraqi choubi, (pronounced choe-bee), with its distinct driving rhythm that feature fiddles, double-reed instruments, bass, keyboards, and oud over its signature beat. Choubi is Iraq's version of the regionally popular dabke, another celebratory Levantine folkloric style of rhythm and line dance. What really defines the Iraqi choubi sound are the crisp, rapid-fire machine-gun style percussive rhythms set atop the main beat. To the uninitiated, they sound almost electronic. Sometimes they are, but more often this is the work of the khishba -- a unique hand-drum of nomadic origin (aka the zanbour -- Arabic for wasp), which appears across the board in many styles of Iraqi music today, with extensions of it also heard in Syrian and Kuwaiti music. Among other styles featured in this volume are Iraq's legendary brand of mawal -- an ornamental vocal improvisation that sets the tone of a song, regardless of the style, and the outstanding Iraqi hecha, with its lumbering and determined rhythm pulsing beneath sad, antagonized vocals -- as heard on tracks A4 and B2. The tracks on this collection were produced during the Saddam era -- between the 1980s and early-2000s. An important goal within the Iraqi Baathist agenda was to promote its brand of secularism, which saw the establishment of cultural centers, and a fostering of the arts. Music was more encouraged, albeit more institutionalized than ever -- particularly folkloric and heritage music such as choubi. In an Iraqi army comprised of seven divisions, Saddam referred to singers as the eighth. Still, unless a rare level of stardom has been achieved, being a singer or musician isn't usually encouraged or viewed as a respectable lifestyle in much of the Arab world. It's often those deemed social outsiders that tend to find their niche in music -- particularly the "party music" heard on this collection. Among them are the Rom Gypsy Iraqis (known as Kawliya in Arabic). A number of female singers wear masks and adopt pseudonyms to protect their identities, as some are runaways or prostitutes making ends meet in the seedy nightclub scene. Occasionally, they end up with successful recording careers. Sajida Obeid, who has appeared on both volumes of Choubi Choubi! is an example of a talented Kawliya singer from the nightclub scene of the 1980s who rose to choubi infamy in Baghdad. Choubi inevitably invokes tawdry connotations within Iraqi society (cheap nightclubs for the lower classes, outcast gypsies and singing prostitutes), but in fact, many calibers of Iraqi singers and ensembles have recorded and performed the music. Unofficially, choubi can be called the national dance of Iraq. Though some may deny this claim (mostly due to its reputation and stigma), at most Iraqi weddings you'll find people from all walks flaunting their best choubi moves. Iraqi music has always had a way of transcending religious groups and ethnicity, collectively shared between Arabs, Kurds, Assyrians and myriad other Iraqi minorities. In 2013 sadly, this diversity and unity within Iraq is increasingly fragmented, but traditions continue throughout the internationally displaced diaspora. Limited edition 2LP set in a heavy gatefold jacket with beautiful artwork and liner notes by Mark Gergis.

Order from Forced Exposure: http://beta.forcedexposure.com/Catalog/SF.085LP.html

DAVID HARRIS: Small Path Music (with Laurent Jeanneau) 

SF 082DVD

Small Path Music was shot on location in Southeast Asia in 2010 with Laurent Jeanneau on his relentless quest to capture audio recordings of vanishing indigenous music from ethnic groups of this vast region. The documentary (shot over a period of eight months) takes us travelling with Laurent in the field through remote northern Laos and Yunnan Province of Southwest China and invites us into the world of the folk artists he explores. From shamanic rituals to love songs, historical epics to lamentations, his microphones document what he discovers there. Laurent tells us of the state he finds these artists in today, how this music speaks to him, and we learn what drives the urgency of his work. As perhaps the most committed and accomplished procurer of rare and threatened music from this part of the world, Laurent recounts experiences from a decade of recording in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and China, and we gauge his perspective on the musical traditions of the area. We see how he relates to them and how his work has led his life in new directions. Along this journey he met his wife, Tanding and together they established a recording label (Kink Gong) to release their field recordings. Sublime Frequencies is pleased to present this unique story shot by filmmaker David Harris about the man behind the Ethnic Minority Music album series. 56 minutes, 16:9 NTSC DVD all regions, English with Mandarin subtitles. 

Order from Forced Exposure: http://beta.forcedexposure.com/Catalog/SF.082DVD.html

OMAR SOULEYMAN: Dabke 2020: Folk & Pop Sounds of Syria

SF 049LP 

LP version. Sublime Frequencies is pleased to present the second volume of Northeast Syrian dabke music from legendary vocalist Omar Souleyman and his group. This record was compiled by Mark Gergis to coincide with the Sublime Frequencies UK/European tour in May and June of 2009, featuring live performances by Omar Souleyman himself. Culled from dozens of cassettes recorded in Syria from 1999-2008, the music here is an extension of Omar's Highway to Hassake: Folk & Pop Sounds of Syria (SF 031CD) release, touching on some previously-unheard angles. Their trademark serpentine synthesizers, electrified bouzok (traditional stringed instrument) and driving rhythms forge a severe form of "new wave dabke" with a live energy and integrity that captures the essence of the Syrian Northeast; one-of-a-kind Syrian dabke party tunes, regional atabat-styled crooners, and unbelievable Iraqi party jams. This is the limited edition LP version packaged in a heavy-duty tip-on jacket.

Order from Forced Exposure: http://beta.forcedexposure.com/Catalog/SF.049LP.html

Omar Souleyman US / CANADA / EUROPE Tours – Summer 2011

Omar Souleyman US / Canada / Europe dates 2011

more to be announced soon...

JUNE

June 3 - Austin, TX / EMO's (Chaos in Tejas Festival)

June 5 – Chicago, IL / Do Division Festival / Damen stage / 4PM

June 7 – San Francisco, CA / Mezzanine

June 8 – Portland, OR / Dante’s

June 9 – Seattle, WA / Neumo’s

June 11 – Manchester, Tennessee / Bonnaroo Festival

Jun 12 – Brooklyn, NY / Music Hall of Williamsburg

June 13 - Montreal, Quebec / Suoni Per il Popolo

June 25 - Pilton, England - Glastonbury

JULY

July 6 – Toronto / Lee’s Palace

July 9 - Detroit, MI / Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD)

July 10 – Philadelphia, PA / Johnny Brenda’s

July 12 – Los Angeles/Hollywood, CA / ECHO

AUGUST

August 5 - Katowice, Off Festival

August 6 - London / Field Day

August 17 - Lisbon / Festival de Paredes de Coura

August 19 - Amsterdam / Paradiso

August 20 - Biddinghuizen / Lowlands Festival

August 22 - Ancona / Festival Adriatico Mediterraneo

SEPTEMBER

September 9 - Torino / Mito Festival at Sala Espace

September 11 - Isle of Wight / Bestival

September 12 Tilburg / Incubate

September 13 - Antwerp / Trix

September 14 - Paris / Point Ephemere

September 15 - Dudingen / Bad Bonn

September 16 - Lyon / Transbordeur

September 18 - Brussels / AB

DECEMBER

December 11 Minehead / ATP Curated

Introducing the official Omar Souleyman page

http://omarsouleyman.virb.com/home

SUBLIME FREQUENCIES PO BOX 17971 SEATTLE WA 98127 USA

http://www.sublimefrequencies.com/

MOCAD: Detroit - Omar Souleyman with special guest Ara Topouzian

Sublime Frequencies Presents: Omar Souleyman with special guest Ara Topouzian Saturday, July 9 8:00pm - 11:00pm
	Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) 4454 Woodward Ave Detroit, MI
	Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD
	Saturday, July 9th at 8PM Omar Souleyman with special guests Ara Topouzian Admission: $9.00 all ages Omar Souleyman is a Syrian pop musician. Since 1994, he and his musicians – Rizan Said keyboard and Ali Shaker Ali – bozouk - have emerged as a staple of folk-pop throughout Syria, but until now they have remained little known outside of the country. To date, he has issued more than five hundred studio and live-recorded cassette albums which are easily spotted in the shops of any Syrian city. From rural Northeastern Syria, Omar began his musical career in 1994 with a small group of local collaborators that remain with him today. The myriad musical traditions of the region are evident in their music. Here, classical Arabic mawal-style vocalization gives way to high-octane Syrian Dabke (the regional folkloric dance and party music), Iraqi Choubi and a host of Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish styles, among others. This amalgamation is truly the sound of Syria. Together, they commonly perform the Ataba, a traditional form of folk poetry used in Dabke. Acting as a conduit, Souleyman struts into the audience with urgency, vocalizing the prose in song before returning for the next verse. Souleyman’s first hit in Syria was "Jani" (1996) which gained cassette-kiosk infamy and brought him recognition throughout the country. Over the years, his popularity has risen steadily and the group tirelessly performs concerts throughout Syria and has accepted invitations to perform abroad in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Lebanon. < http://www.sublimefrequencies.com/item.asp?Item_id=34> Ara Topouzian is an Armenian-American musician whose proficiency at the KANUN (Middle Eastern harp) has made him a nationally-recognized artist. He has performed in concert, at music festivals and many celebrated venues across the United States, with the top musicians in Middle Eastern music. Topouzian's traditional musical style keeps to his Armenian heritage but has expanded to include music from around the Middle East, as well as jazz, fusion, new age and blues. The recipient of numerous awards, Ara Topouzian's music has been heard and sold around the globe. Showing an interest in music in his early youth, Ara played music throughout the public school music program and in college, he began studying Armenian and Middle Eastern classical and folk music. Performing with a local Armenian band, Ara eventually branched out and began performing as a solo and ensemble musician throughout the Midwest and East Coast. In 1991, he formed American Recording Productions (ARP) with the intent to record and preserve this type of world music. To date, his award winning record label has produced over thirty recordings of Armenian and Middle Eastern music. ARP products are distributed internationally in major retail outlets and can be heard on several world music and NPR radio stations. He has performed at several Armenian weddings and social events, world music concerts, nightclubs, and folk festivals throughout the country. Ara’s music has been featured in several PBS documentaries that have been aired nationwide. Along with his Detroit-based world music ensemble, Eastern Winds, Ara has performed with several popular Armenian, Greek, and Middle Eastern performers and ensembles (including Eastern Winds) throughout the country. Some notable musicians he has performed include: George Mgrdichian, Onnik Dinkjian, Mal Barsamian, John Berberian, Joe Zeytoonian, James Stoynoff, and the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra. He also has performed with jazz, fusion, rock, and blues artists/ensembles such as the following notable artists: Wendel Harrison, Sean Blackman, Colton Weatherston, and Immigrant Suns. Ara performs an array of Armenian and Middle Eastern instruments including: Kanun (laptop harp), Duduk (Armenian oboe), Metal G-clarinet, Dumbek (Middle Eastern hand drum), Def (Middle Eastern tambourine), and a variety of Middle Eastern frame drums. visit http://www.aratopouzian.com/ for more information SUBLIME FREQUENCIES PO BOX 17971 SEATTLE WA 98127 USA http://www.sublimefrequencies.com/

OMAR SOULEYMAN CONFIRMED FOR GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL UK 2011

Omar Souleyman confirmed for Glastonbury festival UK 2011

Omar will be performing on the West Holts Stage

http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/line-up-poster/

SUBLIME FREQUENCIES PO BOX 17971 SEATTLE WA 98127 USA

http://www.sublimefrequencies.com/

Omar Souleyman to play All Tomorrow's Parties in December

Nightmare Before Christmas curated by

Battles / Caribou / Les Savy Fav

Sunday, December 11th - Curated by Caribou

Omar Souleyman

Butlin's Holiday Centre, Minehead UK

www.atpfestival.com

SUBLIME FREQUENCIES PO BOX 17971 SEATTLE WA 98127 USA

http://www.sublimefrequencies.com/