It's been a tumultuous few years for dabke-techno king Omar Souleyman. In 2021, the Syrian singer was arrested in Urfa, the city in southeastern Turkey where he lived and operates a bakery since fleeing the Syrian civil war in 2011. Accused of being a member of Units for the Protection of the Syrian Kurdish People (YPG), which the authorities in Ankara consider a terrorist organization and its extension Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)Souleyman was held for just over 24 hours before being released without charge.
Aside from touching on themes of exile on recent albums, Souleyman's music has never been overtly political (a choice that has sometimes drawn criticism from fellow Syrians). But growing up as a Sunni Arab in culturally diverse Syria al-Hasakah region, absorbed Kurdish, Assyrian, and even Turkish and Iraqi influences, often singing in Kurdish and collaborating with Kurdish artists such as former longtime keyboard player Rizan Sa'id. Since leaving Turkey after his arrest, Suleiman has found a new home in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdish region, and it is in this ancient city—which, unlike the repressive regime in Turkey, has offered him solace within its diverse cultural milieu—that he dedicates his fifth studio album.
Erbilhis third full length for Diplo's Crazy Decent (and one of more than 500 albums in total, if you believe the tradition), celebrates the new experiences and friendships Souleyman encountered there. For non-Arabic speakers this is difficult to know, because the label does not provide lyrics or translations—a notable omission, considering Souleyman's international audience. But in some ways this follows the same patterns that have characterized his trajectory since he first emerged from relative obscurity in Syria and was introduced to the rest of the world. For many, Souleyman may be the only dabke artist they ever come across. Disembodied and inscrutable behind his dark sunglasses, he projects an aura of purity and distance.
Since Souleyman's international success in 2007 with his collection Sublime Frequencies album/highway-to-hassake-folk-and-pop-sounds-of-syria” class=”external-link” data-event-click=”{"element":"ExternalLink","outgoingURL":"https://sublime-frequencies.bandcamp.com/album/highway-to-hassake-folk-and-pop-sounds-of-syria"}” href=”https://sublime-frequencies.bandcamp.com/album/highway-to-hassake-folk-and-pop-sounds-of-syria” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>National road to Hasakehas raised hundreds of millions YouTube views and become the face of dabke in the Western world, collaborating with a variety of artists from Björk to Gorillaz and Four Tet. On Erbilhe sticks to the time-tested formula that has propelled him thus far: his soulful baritone gliding over a cascade of swirling sizzling lines, (mostly) electronic simulations of instruments like oud, mijwizand arghuland hard rhythms, which cause ecstasy.
from our partners at https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/omar-souleyman-erbil