The great homogeny of culture under the edifice of American Cultural Imperialism certainly has its drawbacks. When people of many differing cultures rush to emulate what comes from Hollywood, CNN, and MTV (my country dubiously included), it makes one wonder why the land that stands for individualism manages to create such boring uniformity across the globe. This collection of Arabesque music, or electronica/trance/dance music by Arabic peoples, is a startling revelation that maybe the global village is turning into another drab suburb.
This collection, compiled by Andy Morgan, is one of the most annoying pieces of shit I've endured in a while, mainly because the music contained within is frankly so derivative of American styles that it barely warrants attention. Does the world really need to hear another French rap song, even if it contains a traditional Middle Eastern breakdown, like "Beyrouth Ecceureé" by Clotaire K? Or the boring neo-trance of U-Cef, who's "Aalash Kwawna" may have sounded daring or innovative ten years ago, but sounds like a waste of DAT space now? Creativity is not found by changing the source of your samples.
This disc has exactly two interesting cuts. "A Muey A Muey" by Aisha Kandishna's Jarring Effects -- supposedly the song that inspired this collection -- at least has some energy, if not any real originality. The other would be DuOuD's "Zanzibar," which is an oud duet over a trance background and a vaguely Indian rhythm pattern: the track is saved only by it's interesting solos. Beyond that, what you get sounds like some dull cross between Manchester and Riyadh.
In the disc's overly preachy liner notes, Morgan wastes a long paragraph expressing that anyone who derides the music on this disc as being derivative in the extreme is, "to be willfully blind to the reality of modern life for a young North African or Middle Eastern person... today." After stating that Arab peoples are just as apt to find mp3s as a person in the West (really? No way!), he finishes off by saying, "(t)he real question isn't whether these are legitimate music-making tools but, whether the music they make is listenable, relevant, innovative and original." Well, after enduring the Bled Runner (featuring Did Brother) remix of their "Sidi Mansour," replete with Eurodisco drums offset by ouds, I'd answer it's about as listenable, innovative, and original as the same crap coming out of London or Chicago or Delhi or Tokyo. As for relevant, ask me in ten years time, when this is all passé and the audience that currently listens to this tripe is humming along with the Top 40, whether straight from New York, Paris, or Cairo.
I was never into dance music when I was younger, so maybe I just don't get this. But I don't think I'd rave about the Rough Guide To Arabcore or Heavy Oudel either. Arabesque is as soulless as modern American R&B, just with a different style of female singing. Makes a great coaster.
Rough Guide has an ever-evolving website here.
