54-46 08/03/2023
Susan Cadogan – Hurt So Good
Marsha Griffiths – Feel Like Jumping
Norma Fraser – First Cut is the Deepest
Toots and the Maytals – (Take Me Home) Country Roads
Joe Higgs – Family
Lord Brynner and the Wailers – Where’s Sammy Gone
Third World – Committed
Linval Thompson – I Love You
Yellowman – Morning Ride
Peter Tosh – You Can’t Blame The Youth
Bob Marley and the Wailers – Simmer Down
Augustus Pablo – African Queen
Desmond Dekker – Come Back to Me
The Heptones – Children Dub
Jackie Mittoo – One Step Forward
Burning Spear – Marcus Garvey
continental drift 8/2/23- egypt
Today’s episode takes us halfway across the globe to Egypt! Listen to the playlist here, and listen back to the episode here.
The Arab Republic of Egypt spans the northeast corner of Africa into the southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai peninsula. Approximately 100 million people live here, making it the 14th most populous country in the world, and the 3rd most populated in Africa. Its official language is Arabic. Egypt has one of the longest histories in the world, as ancient Egypt is considered a cradle of civilization. Egypt had some of the earliest writings, agriculture, urbanization, organized religion, and centralized government, and also some of the first musical instruments and traditions.
The development of ancient Greek music, and thus the development of early European music, was impacted significantly by Egyptian music. Egypt was dominant in its region for thousands of years and thus influenced its neighbors greatly. Many of the instruments claimed in the Bible to have been played by the ancient Hebrews are Egyptian, as established by archaeologists.
There’s a lot of music to get through here, so we’re actually going to skip to the 20th century.
Sha’abi is a popular working-class music genre established around the 1950s. Sha’abi means “locally popular,” and was developed by Sayyid Darwish, a songwriter and composer.
Sha’abi Sample:
Bent El Soltan // Ahmed Adaweya
Classical music took hold in Egypt after European instruments such as the piano and the violin were introduced. Operas and orchestras sprang up, with Egyptian composers soon becoming known worldwide. One of whom is Abu Bakr Kharat, trained as an architect. On the side, he studied music composition, all while continuing his career in architecture. He designed the Academy of Arts complex and the Sayed Darwish Concert Hall.
Classical Sample:
Abu Bakr Kharat- Egyptian folk suite (mid 20th century)
Drummer Salah Ragab is credited with starting up Egyptian jazz, as he is the cofounder of Cairo Jazz Band, which he created while in the army. They established swing jazz in the country.
Jazz sample:
The Crossing // Salah Ragab, The Cairo Jazz Band
Maha was once a vocalist for the Cairo Jazz Band, among others. She released a solo album on tape in the late 70s, but it didn’t receive much buzz until being rereleased on the Habibi Funk label recently.
Habibi Funk/Funk Segment:
We Mesheet // Maha
Ayonha // Hamid Al Shaeri
Longa 79 // Al Massrieen
Habibi // Firzkat al Pharana
Hamid Al Shaeri is the father of Al Jeel, an Egyptian alternative to popular western music in the 70s. The genre is modeled after pop and rock and roll, with a dance focus. It’s called “new wave” by many, not for its resemblance to the traditional New Wave, but for being a new wave of pop music in the country, taking over after Sha’abi.
Modern Funk/whatever:
nefsif akli (my self with my head) // Lekhfa
Slaughterhouse // Invisible Hands
Jessica // Youssra El Hawary
Art by Allison Felice
Electronic segment:
Halim El-Dabh – “Wire Recorder Piece” (1944)
Fr3sh // Kareem Lotfy
Dareen
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Halim El-Dabh was the father of electronic music in Egypt. Born in 1921, he was a composer, musician, and ethnomusicologist who made the first strictly electronic piece of music in the world with “Wire Recorder Piece” in 1944. Drawing from recordings he made of a zar healing ceremony on the outskirts of Cairo, he used studio techniques to create a cavernous vortex of reverberated howls—as he has told journalist Maha ElNabawi in an interview with Egyptian news media Mada—to get at the “inner sound” of this ancient ritual, which uses music and chanting to draw out spirits from a possessed person.
Kareem Lotfy’s “Fr3sh” is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit with Kanye West, who allegedly sampled the song without permission or credit on West’s album, ye.
This has been continental drift!
LYD’s Last Grock! 8/1/2023
Tonight was my last night as a host on girl rock! The setlist is a mash up of my favorite songs. Throughout the show I also interjected stories and memories I’ve associated with them over the past few years. Being at WREK, serving as GM, and hosting girl rock has been a total highlight of my life and I am beyond thankful to the station and everyone here. Playlist below! Signing off, Lydia.
No Aloha // The Breeders
Angry // Cryogeyser
Double Dare // Momma
Day Dreaming // Aretha Franklin
Laid // The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Fear // Chastity Belt
Steel Birds // Slow Pulp
Japanese Breakfast // Heft
She’s Actin’ Single // Wednesday
My Oh My // Liz Cooper
Like I Used To // Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen
Think Of You // Bleached
Cool Schmool // Bratmobile
Trees and Flowers // Strawberry Switchblade
I Don’t Wanna Be Too Cool // Kate Fagan
Masterpiece // Big Thief
Mobius 2023.07.31
Speedy J – Symmetry
Balil – Parasight
DiY – Orange Is Orange
I.A.O. – The Clan (Mongol Hordes)
Mark Franklin – Release To The System
B12 – Preminition
Mystic Institute – QA:752:LP (Reload Remix)
Nightmares on Wax – Aftermath
DiY – Cassiopeia
The Orb- A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld (Live Mix Mark 10)
Plaid – Object Orient
Reload – Peschi
Reload & E621 – Ptysch
Seefeel – Spangle
Sweet Exorcist – Testfour
The Higher Intelligence Agency – Selenite
Speedy J – Fill 3
Link – Arcadian
DiY – Eve’s Theme
Sub Saharan Vibes — July 31, 2023
- Kandiafa — Bana Magny
- Amadou & Miriam — La Réalité
- Mama Sissoko — Soleil de minuit
- Eppi Fanio — Ikoko
- Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba f/ Amy Sacko, Afel Bocoum & Ahmed ag Kaedi- Désert Nianafing
- Lijadu Sisters — Bobby
- Thomas Mapfumo & The Blacks Unlimited — Muchoni (The Self-Exile)
- Miriam Makeba — Laktushona Ilanga
- Shina Williams & His African Percussionists — Gboro Mi Ro
- Group Doueh — Kar Labyad Doueh
- Monique Seka — Okaman
