Record of the day: Various performers, “Arabic groove”

Various performers, “Arabic Groove” (Cd Putumayo 189-2)

Let’s pretend for some time that winter has suddenly disappeared, and some genie of the lamp has suddenly transported us to the sunny lands of Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon and Egypt, allowing us to savor the contagious rhythms of songs that combine the traditional influences of Algerian räi, the bhangra present in Southeast Asia and the Egyptian al-jil with the typical grooves of Dance music, managing to fill local discos (and not only that, given the worldwide success of artists like Khaled and Transglobal Underground) with very warm and enthralling music capable of chasing away any gloom from the day.

The New York label Putumayo has collected eleven songs in this compilation that won’t make you sit still for even a moment, with ultrafunky rhythms overlaid by sinuous voices, traditional instruments, guitars, ouds, zithers and synthesizers, Indian percussion and wind sections that seem taken from an Earth, Wind & Fire album, in a tasty recipe prepared by excellent chefs such as Abdel Ali Slimani, Abdy, Hisham Abbas and Natacha Atlas, all authentic superstars in their countries (and listening to their voices it’s not difficult to understand why).

Some of these songs subsequently bounced onto the consoles of US DJs, also giving rise to a stylistic trend in the New World that straddles tradition and modernity (for example, the song “L’Histoire” by Cheb Tarik is entirely based on an overlapping Algerian melody to an American rap and a sampling of “Let’s go dancing (Ooh La La La)” by Kool & The Gang) which thrilled many fans of wild dancing. Fortunately, these songs do not limit themselves to acting as rhythmic propellers for the movement but have very beautiful melodies and top-quality arrangements that envelop singers with evocative voices, full of charm and capable of performing authentic vocal virtuosity.

Naturally, we must not consider these operations as cultural contaminations of who knows what complexity (as many current Italian critics would certainly be tempted to do) given that we are moving in an admittedly commercial context and entertaining the public is the first objective of these artists; This doesn’t make the album any less interesting or enjoyable.

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical topics.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: A record for every day of the year” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.