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Album Review: Omar Souleyman - Wenu Wenu

...he’s made what’s essentially a live album, with synth god Rizan crafting remarkable snaking Middle Eastern melodies over the kind of relentless electronic hand percussion that’ll remind you you’re still alive.

 

Syrian wedding singer Omar Souleyman is a non-stop party machine. Impassive behind his aviator shades and traditional kufiya headwear, he prowls the stage, earnestly proclaiming his declarations of love and revving up the crowd over banging Syrian techno. His first studio recording, after 500 cassette releases in Syria and a series of compilations in the West, going into a Brooklyn studio with Four Tet, he's made what's essentially a live album, with synth god Rizan crafting remarkable snaking Middle Eastern melodies over the kind of relentless electronic hand percussion that'll remind you you're still alive.