Music from Lebanon

Wewantsounds is delighted to continue its Ziad Rahbani reissue program with Ana Moush Kafer, a classic album by the Lebanese legend Ziad Rahbani, recorded at his By-Pass Studio in Beirut during the height of the Lebanese Civil War in 1985. Showcasing Rahbani’s signature blend of Arabic music infused with touches of jazz-funk and bossa nova, the album has attained cult status over the years. Originally released on cassette, it has never before been available on vinyl. Newly remastered, this editi…

Yara Asmar’s new album, “everyone I love is sleeping and I love them so so much”, presents 11 pieces recorded over the past year between the small town of Alfred in upstate New York and Beirut. These sometimes fragile and tentative sound sketches reflect the times as Yara steps out, as if onto ice, into a new life on a new continent. She works with unfamiliar instruments, new materials and new sounds to build on her intimate style; homemade mechanical music boxes and a personal archive of family…

Wewantsounds announces the first vinyl reissue of Fairuz’s 1987 classic “Shat Iskandaria.” Featuring Rahbani Brothers’ compositions, Ziad Rahbani’s production, and iconic Arabic poetry, this album merges tradition with modern arrangements, cementing its status as a beloved masterpiece of world music.

Big tip! Home Recordings (2018-2021) “Who is Yara Asmar and how does she make music so strangely beautiful? The 25-year-old instrumentalist-puppeteer lives in Beirut with her cat, Mushroom, and presumably that’s the feline’s shadow next to the artist’s on the album’s back cover. The warm light of that photograph and the quiet beach scene of an abandoned lifeguard’s station and an empty net tells you all you need to know. Home Recordings 2018-2021 is an assured debut album that builds an eerie te…

Bitter Balls – the second full length studio album from mostly Middle Eastern supergroup Karkhana, features members of Dwarfs of East Agouza, „A“Trio, Konstrukt, Chicago Tentet, Land of Kush among others – shows the ongoing incredible progression and artistic flow the group is currently working under. Four new fine tuned compositions of crystal clear and deep, dark, distorted unrock – electric and acoustic. The cross between old school and contemporary oriental free-jazz sounds and western impro…

Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue Ziad Rahbani's cult album Amrak Seedna & Abtal Wa Harameyah, released in 1987. Ziad Rahbani is a living legend of Arab music and a cultural icon in his native Lebanon. An accomplished musician, pianist and producer, he is also a celebrated playwright and political activist.  The album Amrak Seedna & Abtal Wa Harameyah, released in 1987 on the Beirut-based Relax-in label, is the soundtrack to two plays written by the renowned Lebanese playwright and actor Anto…

*200 copies limited edition* October felt like the appropriate time for Yara Asmar to unveil her intimate new album "synth waltzes & accordion laments" - a captivating new collection of home recordings. Acclaimed Lebanese artist Yara Asmar is set to mesmerize listeners once again with her new album, synth waltzes & accordion laments. This eagerly anticipated album, a collection of intimate recordings, provides another glimpse into Yara's world. The album showcases her ability to channel raw emot…

*2023 stock* This album is more like a collection of Fairouz's greatest hits. But the difference between this one and others like 'Very Best of' is that Ziad Rahbani (Fairouz' son) went through a very long process of re-recording all the songs with all new instruments. That made the simple songs sound orchestral. The album is dedicated to Assy (Ziad's father and Fairouz's husband) who passed away in '86. The booklet of the CD contains some photos, articles and quotes by Ziad, Mansour and Fairouz…

*2023 stock* Fairuz and the Rahbani Brothers love Lebanon sincerely. Their talents reach new potentials when they write songs about their beloved country. Something which Ziad criticizes very much. He says that they built a great place in their songs which long gone immigrants, for instance, didn't find when they returned. Maybe that's why he didn't include any of those songs in his and Fairuz's tribute to Assy. But certainly there is a lot of truth in the Rahbani songs. Times change and the Rah…

*2023 stock* The album in a whole is a mixture of different feelings, grief, pain, hope and glory. The quality is great except for the single live song. There is no doubt that this album should be in everyone's collection.

*2023 stock* Imagine you're standing in front of Royal Festival Hall in London on 13th of June 1986. It's 7:30 PM. It doesn't take long to realize it's one of the greatest summer nights of that year. Fairuz is performing in there. It really is something. While the Olympia album had the Rahbani brothers influence, this one was conducted by Ziad. The musical arrangements of the songs are very clear to be of Ziad. It seems that these same arrangements gave Ziad a lot of help when he started working…

*2023 stock* For brilliance in ballad-singing, indefinability of genre, art and sheer gorgeousness of voice, Fairuz might be compared with Sarah Vaughan. Throughout her career she was, among other things, a major star of musical plays. This release comes from one such -- and from 1974, arguably the peak of her career prime. It is also the last composed by her late husband, Aasi Rahbani.

Wewantsounds present a first-time vinyl reissue Fairuz's classic album Kifak Inta produced by her son Ziad Rahbani in the late '80s and only released on cassette and CD in 1991. Composed and arranged by Rahbani, who had already produced Wahdon (1979) and Maarifti Feek (1987), Kifak Inta features his usual blend of jazz, funk, and Arabic music, spiced up with Brazilian influences serving Fairuz's beautiful voice. Fairuz is a living legend and one of the greatest divas of the Arab world. She came …

* 2022 Stock * Fairuz, who sung during her youth regularly with a church choir, gives to these Good Friday hymns stronger and deeper dimensions: with her exceptional voice, she expresses the emotions and feelings of all believers. Remastered official reissue, comes on 180 gram vinyl.

*In process of stocking* Yara Asmar is a 25 year old multi-instrumentalist, video artist and puppeteer currently living in Beirut with her cat, Mushroom. Hive Mind are thrilled to be working with her and to bring you this wonderful debut album of music she recorded at home on cassettes and a mobile phone over the past few years. On it you'll hear her play a range of instruments including the piano, her grandmother's old accordion which she found in the attic of her grandparent's home in Lebanon,…

The legendary Lebanese trio of trumpeter Mazen Kerbaj (Karkhana, Johnny Kafta), guitarrist Sharif Sehnaoui (Calamita, Karkhana, Johnny Kafta ) and bassist Raed Yassin (Praed, Praed Orchestra) celebrates their 20th anniversary with The Binding Third on Unrock. They still create acoustic improvised drones that range from insistent, chiming resonances with emergency alarm bells to low, thrumming hums but with growing intensity. Avoiding conventional technique, A Trio manages to create sounds like m…

The Diva Faïrouz. Her real name Nouhad Haddad, she was born in the Zokak el Blat district of Beirut. The eldest of a modest Maronite family, she developed a passion for singing very early on. Her parents are too poor to afford the luxury of a radio, so she spends most of her time listening, her ear glued to the wall, to the neighbors. Nouhad quickly memorizes the songs she hears and gives a few samples at parties organized by her school. It was there that she seduced her comrades with her vocal …

* 2021 Stock * Reissue of the musical play composed by the famous Rahbani brothers, originally released in 1974. Loulou (Fairuz) is ruled unjustly for the murder of a man “Younes” and her innocence is proved one month before the completion of her fifteen years sentence.  Upon her release she tells her story to “Gergie” the Shoes Shiner (Nasri Shamseddine) who goes around the town to spread the news of her being freed. Residents run to welcome her and to inform her that they were forced to testif…

A Fairuz classic! A musical play by the Rahbani brothers and originally released in 1975. Zayyoun (Fairuz) is driving to her village “Kahloun” for the wedding of her cousin, bringing the wedding dress with her. But her car breaks in a village called “Maïs El Rim”. She tries hard fixing it to continue her journey, looking for Naaman (Elie Choueiri) the mechanic. But Naaman closed his shop because of an on-going dispute between his family and the family of his beloved Shahidi (Hoda Haddad), both f…

Superb epic live album from 1972, by the Lebanese legend Fairuz. "The King of Sira Ghayboun (Antoine Kerbage) is known for being good, fair and caring for his devoted people.  In reality, his people are living under threat of jailing or slavery should they refuse to pay the multiple taxes that are set by their King.  The latest tax called « The King’s Share » grants to the latter half of all of his subject’s possessions.  Zad El Kheir (Fairuz), a young girl from the Kingdom, has no money to pay …