
Track List
1. Tahia's Dance: Habibi Ya Asmar/Ya Hassan/Tet Balady and Tabla Solo
2. Samia's Dance: Zenouba/Seina/Ana Alli Wa Utilu/Tabla Solo
3. Nebtiti Minin el Hikiya (When Did the Story Start)
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Raï (Arabic: راي) is a form of folk music, originated in Oran, Algeria from Bedouin shepherds, mixed with Spanish, French, African and Arabic musical forms, which dates back to the 1930s and has been primarily evolved by women in the culture. The word raï is Arabic for “opinion.”
Singers of raï are called cheb (young) as opposed to sheikh (old) the name given to Chaabi music singers; the tradition arose in cities like Oran and elsewhere in Tlemcen, primarily among the poor. The word raï means literally opinion but is colloquially used as an interjection along the lines of oh, yeah! Traditionally sung by men, at the turn of the 20th century, female singers became common.
History
Oran is a seaport in Western Algeria, known since the Spanish invasion centuries ago; Spanish troops kept women there to entertain the troops, and the city has kept a reputation for hedonism ever since. In the early 20th century, Oran was divided into Jewish, French, Spanish, and Arab quarters. By independence in 1962, the Jewish quarter (known as the Derb), was home to popular musicians like Reinette L'Oranaise, Saoud L'Oranais and Larbi Bensari. Sidi el Houari was home to Spanish fishermen, many refugees from Spain who arrived after 1939. These two quarters were the centers for musical innovation,[1] and the French inhabitants of the city went to the Jewish and Spanish areas for music. The Arabs of Oran were known for al-andalous, a classical style of music imported from Southern Spain after 1492. Hawzi was popular between the wars, and the biggest stars were female singers like Cheikha Tetma, Fadila D'zirya and Myriam Fekkai. Melhun poetry with accompaniment was also popular, sung by male singers in long, white jellabas and turbans (known as cheikhs) who played guellal drums and gaspa flutes. This genre was known as bedoui (from its origin among Bedouin chants) or gharbi. Lyrics came from the poetry of masters like Mestfa ben Brahim and Zenagui Bouhafs, and performers included Cheikh Hamada, Cheikh Mohammed Senoussi, Cheikh Madani, Cheikh Hachemi Bensmir and Cheikh Khaldi. Senoussi was the first to record, in 1906.
French colonization of Algeria changed the organization of society, producing an urban poor of uneducated men and women. Popular bedoui singers mostly collaborated with the French colonizers, though some, like Cheikh Hamada were exceptions. The problems of survival in a life of poverty were the domain of street musicians who sang bar-songs called zendanis. Many of these songs included exclamations of raï! and variations on it, which implies an opinion is being expressed.
In the 1920s, the women of Oran were held to strict code of conduct. Many of those that failed became social outcasts and singers and dancers. They sang medh songs in praïse of the prophet Mohammed and performed for female audiences at weddings, circumcision feasts and other ceremonies. These performers included Les Trois Filles de Baghdad, Soubira bent Menad and Kheira Essebsadija. Another group of female social outcasts were called cheikhas, who were known for their alluring dress, hedonistic lyrics, and a form of music that combined that of the cheikhs, meddhahates and zendani singers. These cheikhas sang for both men and women, and included Cheikha Remitti el Reliziana, perhaps the most famous cheikha. Other performers included Cheikha Grélo, Cheikha Djenia el Mostganmia, Cheikha Bachitta de Mascara and Cheikha a; Ouachma el Tmouchentia. The 1930s saw the rise of revolutionary organizations, many with a Marxist goal, which mostly despised these early roots raï singers. At the same time, the great voices of Arab classical music were gaining popularity across North Africa, especially Umm Kulthum.
Raï, al-andalous and the Egyptian classical superstars’ style was combined in the 1930s to form wahrani, a style popularized by Blaoui Houari. Wahrani was very popular, as were American jazz and French cabaret singers like Édith Piaf, especially into the 1940s. Musicians like Mohammed Belarbi and Djelloul Bendaoud added these influences to other Oranian styles, as well as Western piano and accordion, resulting in a new style called bedoui citadinisé. Full-scale revolution began in the mid-1950s, and many of these stars, including Houari and Ahmed Saber, supported the Front de Libération National. After independence in 1962, however, the new Marxist government of the Houari Boumédienne regime, and President Ahmed Ben Bella, did not tolerate criticism from Saber and other musicians, and many were arrested. Raï and Oranian culture was suppressed.
Post-independence
In the 1960s, American rock and roll and soul music was popular, and Algerian bands like The Vulures and The Students arose. The French Yé Yé craze was also popular, and two of the most influential musicians of the later 20th century began their career. Bellamou Messaoud and Belkacem Bouteldja modernized the raï sound and began gaining mainstream acceptance by 1964. Chaba Fadela and Cheb Khaled also began their careers during this period, as raï's popularity was growing across Algeria. Recording technology began growing more advanced, and more imported genres gained popularity as well, into the 1970s, especially Jamaican reggae performers like Bob Marley. Fadela's 1979 "Ana ma h'lali ennoum" is considered the beginning of modern pop raï; the song was a hit across Algeria, and set the stage for raï's domination of national listeners. International success had begun as early as 1976 with the success of Rachid Baba Ahmed, raï music’s most important producer.
In the 1980s, raï began its period of greatest popularity. In 1986, the first state-sanctioned raï festival was held in Algeria, and a festival was also held in Bobigny, France. Cheb Khaled was the first international superstar, though his popularity did not extend to the United States, Latin America and certain other areas. His 1988 Kutché album did the most to popularize him and the whole genre of raï. Other prominent performers of the 80s included Houari Benchenet, Raïna Raï, Mohamed Sahraoui, Cheb Mami and Cheb Hamid.
International success grew in the 1990s, when Cheb Khaled's 1992 Khaled was a major French hit and also saw success in India and elsewhere. With Khaled no longer in Algeria, new stars began singing lover's raï, a sentimental, pop-ballad form best-known for stars like Cheb Tahar, Cheb Nasro and, especially, Cheb Hasni. Later in the decade, funk, hip hop and other influences were added to raï, especially by performers like the French star Faudel and raï-rock fusionist Rachid Taha.

| MP3 VBR kbps | Incl. Covers | 220 MB |
Rim Banna (born December 8, 1966) is a Palestinian singer, composer and arranger, well-known for her modern interpretations of traditional folk songs. Banna was born in Nazareth, where she graduated from Nazareth Baptist School in 1984. She currently lives in Nazareth with her husband, the artist Leonid Alexeienko, and their three children.
Artistic philosophy
Banna first achieved popularity among Palestinians in the Palestinian territory which was occupied in 1948 in the early 1990s, after recording a number of Palestinian children's songs on the verge of being forgotten. [2] Many such songs and rhymes sung by Palestinian families again today, are said to be thanks to Rim Banna's work in preserving them via her recordings.
For Banna - whose music is composed and arranged collaboratively with her husband - music is an important tool for cultural self-assertion: "A part of our work consists of collecting traditional Palestinian texts without melodies. So that the texts do not get lost, we try to compose melodies for them that are modern, yet inspired by traditional Palestinian music."
As such, Banna does not merely mimic the traditional techniques for representation of the pieces she interprets. In her view, "Oriental singing techniques are mostly ornamental … But my voice is more two-dimensional, thicker. I try to write songs that fit my voice. I want to create something new in every respect. And that includes bringing people elsewhere closer to the music and soul of the Palestinians."
European audience
Lullabies from the Axis of Evil
Banna's popularity in Europe began after Norwegian singer Kari Bremnes, invited her to Oslo after meeting her during a visit to Nazareth. Banna accepted the invitation, and the two artists were subsequently enlisted with others by Norwegian music producer Erik Hillestad to record the 2003 CD Lullabies from the Axis of Evil.
Dubbed "a musical antiwar message to U.S. President Bush from female singers in Palestine, Iraq, Iran, and Norway," [2], the album brings these women together with others from North Korea, Syria, Cuba, and Afghanistan - to sing traditional lullabies from their lands in duet form with English-language performers whose translation allows the songs to reach a Western audience.
Mirror of My Soul
Banna's latest album, The Mirrors of My Soul, is a stylistic departure from her previous body of work. Produced in cooperation with a European quintet, it features "Western pop stylings" fused with Middle Eastern modal and vocal structures, and Arabic lyrics. [5] Though the style of this album differs from previous recordings, the subject matter has basically remained constant. The album includes "songs of despair and hope" about the lives of "a struggling people, and even a song about late president Arafat in a way that is both thoughtful and subtle".
TRACK LISTINGS
TRACK LISTINGSPalestinian vocalist Rim Banna and her predominantly European-based quintet have created a well-produced album that, while owing much to Western pop musical stylings, aptly showcases her compelling voice and lyrics. Most of the songs feature definitively Western instrumentation and character, even if the modal structure and vocals are derived from Middle Eastern sounds. While ostensibly making the album more accessible to a broad, presumably North American, audience, it can be argued that this overt leaning toward cotemporary rock/pop elements detracts from its potential power. Banna is a terrific vocalist, there’s no doubt of that; still, despite the collective talents of her ensemble, Banna’s creative abilities as a singer/songwriter might be better served if her music dipped deeper into the waters of the Suez versus the Danube or the Mississippi. While there is the presence of Arabic percussion instruments such as the darbukka, the rhythms and hence overall flavor is decidedly Occidental. If creating such an album was Banna’s goal, she succeeded. Nevertheless, authenticity-minded listeners may find themselves wishing for something more indigenous and thereby ingenious.
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This is a must for all fans and connoisseurs of authentic Egyptian dance music! Hossam Ramzy gathered around him the top musicians of Cairo’s famous Mohammed Ali Street such as Moustafa Sax and Farouq Mohammed Hassan and many others and created great music of his home country with dancers in mind. You can find here original styles from various regions of Egypt.
| EAC WAV 1411 kbps (530 MB) & MP3 320 Kbps (130 MB) | All Covers (H.Q)Download Part 1
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Track List


2007 issued collection with the best sounds heard at parties from Istanbul to Marrakech featuring 60 oriental music bombs from some of the best known artists of the East ike Faudel, Cheb Mami, Sonia, Khaled, Fairouz, Alabina, Africanism III, Natacha Atlas and many more.
| MP3 256 kbps | Front Cover | 100 MB |
| MP3 256 kbps | Covers | 90 MB |
| MP3 256 kbps | Covers | 100 MB |
| MP3 256 kbps | Covers | 108 MB |
| MP3 224 kbps | Incl. Covers | 91 MB |
| MP3 192 kbps | Covers | 95 MB |
Track List
| MP3 192 Kbps | 82 MB |

| MP3 224 Kbps | 77 MB |
MP3 VBR kbps Front Cover 80 MB November 2, 2007
Despite a fairly short career, singer/movie-actor Hafez was one of the most influential Egyptian stars of the 1950s and '60s. His mellow, resonant voice, subtle vocal style and notably clean intonation marked him out, along with a liking for long, seemingly endless musical phrases. When Mohamed Abdel Wahhaab switched from singing to composition, he pretty much stepped into his shoes. Born in 1929, Abdel Halim studied at Cairo's Institute of Arabic Music and the Higher Institute for Theatre Music, and began his career teaching and playing oboe before taking aim at vocal stardom. His first hit came in 1951, and he soon signed a contract with Abdel Wahhaab to sing his songs and appear in his films. During the 1960s, he started to sing colloquial poetry more colorful and meaningful and nearer to popular folk song than ordinary pop songs, and his work on these lines had a significant influence on popular song in general. He cofounded a film company and the Saut el-Fann record label in the early '60s, and remained a major star until he died in 1977 of Bilharzia, which he had caught as a child and which had begun to affect him intermittently from 1955 onward. ~ John Storm Roberts, All Music GuideMP3 256 Kbps Incl. covers, info & Lyrics

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TRACK LISTINGSThis live document of the singer, composer, and bandleader Abdel Halim Hafez is of unknown origin in terms of its recording date. It was captured live in front of the Kariat Al Fengan Belly Dancing festival, and the performance is notated by one single track. Initially, one has to wonder if this is the right recording, since the band is featured for the first 12 minutes without the amazing voice of the master to accompany them. At about that mark, the great one enters the room, the applause is thunderous, and he proceeds to work his truly singular magic for the rest of the hour-long concert. He runs through a series of his hits, as well as movie songs and even some traditional folk songs before it's all over. Sound quality is better than marginal and can even be called good stereo, and the digipack is quite beautiful, though the linter notes -- a strictly biographical essay -- are all in French. This is not the best place to start with Halim Hafez, but it is a beautiful place to go once one has encountered his spooky, heartbreaking magic. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
This live recording, "Kariat al-Fengan" ("The Fortune Teller"), was the last song done by Egyptian legend Abdel Halim Hafez and is probably one of his best works as well. In this performance, over an hour long, we are treated to drama, passion and raw emotion that classical Arabic music is so rightly famous for. Hafez is rightly known as one of the greatest classical performers in the Arabic-speaking world, and of his numerous recordings, this CD is as good a place to start as any. The song is one of his most well-known, and well-loved, works. Its a good thing that EMI Arabia has decided to re-release this CD to a wider market. This, and other recordings in their "Arabian Masters" series, are wonderful guides to some of the best Arabic classical music you can find. If you are a lover of classical Arabic music, or Middle Eastern music in general, then I strongly recommend you check out this CD.
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