Haflat Gharbia: The Western Concerts

Once in a while, an artist from the outside punches a dirty great hole through the usually impenetrable wall of Western music. In recent years, of course, Tinariwen have been the most successful at storming the palace. Syrian singer Omar Souleyman could well be the next to breach the defences. After releasing hundreds of cassettes during his career as an in-demand wedding singer, Souleyman is now signed to the Seattle-based Sublime Frequencies label. Not only that, he is also regularly invited to some of Europe’s cooler festivals, whether these be Sonar in Barcelona or All Tomorrow’s Parties at Butlins in sunny Minehead.

It’s right and fitting that Souleyman is unearthing a constituency within the dance and post-rock crowds. His music wouldn’t sound quite right in a brightly lit, well-appointed arts centre; its density and heaviness need the claustrophobic environs of a darkened, subterranean dive. Haflat Gharbia is his fourth release for the label and is culled from live recordings made in Europe, the US and Australia. At times, it can be bemusing that Souleyman’s big sound is created by just three folk – the man himself out front, backed by an electric saz (lute) player and a multi¬tasking keyboard player/percussionist. Souleyman isn’t such a great singer that he completely earns his sole-name billing but, like all the best trance music, all the simple elements fuse to create something heady and intoxicating. That’s most apparent on the extended jam ‘Gazula/Shift Al Mani’ which diverts you away from earthly matters for a good ten minutes.