Middle Eastern Grooves

There's been a vibrant music scene developing in Tel Aviv in recent years, and DJ Kobayashi has been closely monitoring developments, releasing singles on his Batov label, and bringing the music to the attention of other DJs who want to colour their sets with these ‘Middle Eastern Grooves’. This double LP (also available as a download) is a colourful introduction to the scene, including 17 of those tracks released between 2015 and now, as well as some previously unreleased.

The tracks are all based around grooves, with sturdy bass and percussion lines, often heavily dependent on synths, underpinning the Middle Eastern melodies. But there's considerable variety, from the driving beats and brass of Songlines Awards nominees El Khat to the Turkish influences of Şatellites, with bağlama and bouzouki mixed with synth, bass and drums. These are mostly instrumental tracks, but there are occasional female vocals, with the Japanese singer Yurika Hanashima backed by the agreeably easy-going Sababa 5, and ‘belly dancing princess turned Mediterranean psych chanteuse’ Cherry Bandora adding surf rock and Greek influences. There's even an appearance from Ben Aylon, best-known for his Senegalese-influenced drumming and ngoni work. He joins bassist Yossi Fine for an impressive percussion work-out on ‘Peres’.