Description
HIGHLY SOUGHT-AFTER 1978 INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM RELEASED ON CULT LEBANESE LABEL BYBLOS. CURATED BY DIKRAPHONE'S AHMED KHALIL AND FEATURING THE DANCEFLOOR KILLER "AL GHABA".
Wewantsounds continues its Middle East reissue series with Assa’d Khoury’s 1978 rarity, Electronic Touches Belly Dance. Reissued for the first time in nearly 50 years in partnership with Byblos Records founder Mozart Chahine, the album features Oriental classics reimagined through Khoury’s pioneering funky, electronic keyboards together with the monster breakbeat of cult track "Al Ghaba." This definitive edition includes original artwork, remastered audio, a new introduction by Ahmed Khalil (Dikraphone), and an exclusive interview with Chahine conducted by Mario Choueiry (IMA)
Long a highly coveted find for DJs and vinyl collectors worldwide, Assa’d Khoury’s 1978 album has earned its cult status as one of the most sought-after instrumental LPs from the region. This release marks the very first reissue of the album, which has remained virtually impossible to find since its original pressing. Khoury (1953–2020), a Syrian virtuoso pianist, violinist, and leader of the "Spring Band," bridged Levantine tradition with the cosmic, psychedelic textures of the late 1970s. As Dikraphone's Ahmed Khalil notes in his introduction, the music serves as "a sensory portal to a bygone Damascus, where a psychedelic Farfisa and mesmerizing rhythms create a unique groove" that remains remarkably fresh today.
The album’s history is tied to the legacy of the venerable Lebanese Chahine family. Mozart Chahine, son of the inventor of the quarter-tone keyboard, founded the Byblos label to champion music from the region. In an exclusive interview conducted by Mario Choueiry (IMA), he recalls encountering Khoury at his Damascus music store and recording the entire album in a single day. "The musicians were seasoned, much like jazzmen," Chahine reminisces, noting that the session captured a rare, immediate energy between the ensemble members.
The musical journey spans the Arab world, offering electronic reinterpre-tations of Arabic standards and paying respect to Egyptian master Sayed Darwish. From Mohammad Abdel Wahab’s "Ahwak"—rendered here in an almost psychedelic version—to the Lebanese traditions of Melhem Barakat, the record culminates in the avant-garde "Al Ghaba." An original Khoury composition with a killer breakbeat, "Al Ghaba" is a very funky highlight that has become particularly popular among Arabic music crate diggers. Closing the album in style, it perfectly fulfills Khoury's intent: a sound for modern times, reaching toward a futuristic energy that remains as potent now as it was in 1978. A cult classic which Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue and which will surely please all Arabic funk lovers.
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RETURNS
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