habibi funk

Ara Kekedjian – Bourj Hammoud Groove [HABIBI0331]

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Bourj Hammoud Groove shines a spotlight on the music of Armenian-Lebanese pioneer Ara Kekedjian, who was a defining voice in Beirut’s Estradayin pop scene. Fusing disco rhythms, shimmering synth-pop and Armenian melodic sensibilities, Kekedjian created music that was rooted in his community but also sounds somehow universal. Named after Beirut’s vibrant Armenian district, this compilation brings together his most essential recordings and is accompanied by an insightful booklet with liner notes by Darone Sassounian and rare archival photos. It’s a top-tier bit of archival curation that celebrates a musical legacy that bridges cultural history with danceable grooves.

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Ara Kekedjian – Bourj Hammoud Groove [HABIBI0331]

Charif Megarbane – Marzipan LP [HABIBI023-1]

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“Marzipan” is Habibi Funk’s first full length contemporary release courtesy of Beirut’s multi-instrumental phenom Charif Megarbane, also known as the man behind prolific Cosmic Analog Ensemble. The LP is a journey into Charif’s styling, one he terms ”Lebrary”: a vision of Lebanon and Mediterranean expressed through the kaleidoscopic sonics of library music. Drawing from artists that encapsulates the HF sound, such as Ziad Rahbani, Ahmed Malek and Issam Hajali, Charif translates these influences into an LP that is equally at home in 2023. “Marzipan” is a sonic journey that seeks to capture the full scope of Charif Megarbane’s habitus in 17 tracks. Megarbane finds a sonic through-line in his surrounding soundscapes as he draws on the chaotic energy of the crowded Beirut metropolis (“Souk El Ahad”), the warm atmosphere of the Lebanese countryside (“Chez Mounir”), or the lushness of a Mediterranean beach resort (“Portemilio”). Reflecting the aural composition of his direct surroundings into kaleidoscopic instrumentation provides a unique insight into how one musical phenomenon transposes sight into sound. 

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Charif Megarbane – Marzipan LP [HABIBI023-1]

Sharhabil Ahmed – The King Of Sudanese Jazz [HABIBI013-1]

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AHMED, Sharhabil - The King Of Sudanese Jazz

Habibi Funk’s 13th outing is a release by Sharhabil Ahmed, the actual King of Sudanese Jazz (he actually won that title in a competition in the early 1970s). Sonically it sounds very different from what Jazz is understood to sound like outside of Sudan. It’s an incredible unique mix of rock’n’roll, funk, surf, traditional Sudanese music and influences from Congolese sounds.

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Sharhabil Ahmed – The King Of Sudanese Jazz [HABIBI013-1]

The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr – Jazz, Jazz, Jazz [HABIBI009-1]

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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.

vinyl / CD

The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr – Jazz, Jazz, Jazz [HABIBI009-1]

Kamal Keila – Muslims & Christians [HABIBI008]

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Songs about the unity of Sudan, peace between Muslims and Christians and the fate of war orphans, backed by grooves equally taking influence from Arabic sounds, American funk as well as neighboring Ethiopia. Habibi Funk serves up an album of previously unreleased material by veteran performer Kamal Keila. The music contained on the album comes from two reel-to-reel tapes of session recordings made by Keila and his band for Sudanese radio in 1992, though many of the songs and arrangements date back to the 1970s. During his ’70s peak, Keila was often described locally as “Sudan’s answer to James Brown or Fela Kuti”. Although the influence of both is present on both tracks, you’ll also hear Sudanese blues, fifties-style R&B, hazy funk influenced by the Ethiopian music scene and sweet, horn-heavy, breakbeat-powered sing-alongs.

vinyl / CD

Kamal Keila – Muslims & Christians [HABIBI008]