| 1. They Taught Me |
| 2. Segue Bezikh |
| 3. Oh Mother, The Handsome Man Tortures Me - Brian Bawinkle |
| 4. Yumma, Al Hilou (Mother, Here's My Beauty) |
| 5. Ahl Al Aqil (Oh, People of Reason) |
| 6. Choubi Choubi |
| 7. Ya Binaya Goumi (Oh Girl, Stand Up) |
| 8. Front My Hope |
| 9. Ala Honak (Take It Easy) |
| 10. Ashhad Biannak Hilou (I Admit You Are Beautiful) |
| 11. Walla (By God) |
| 12. Palestinian |
Editorial Reviews
San Francisco Bay Guardian, September 21, 2005
The music on Choubi Choubi! is totally nutzoid. - Paul Costuros
Product Description
Meticulously selected from Iraqi cassettes and LPs found in Syria, Europe and the Iraqi neighborhoods of Detroit, Michigan, this unique collection of folk and pop styles displays a wealth of outstanding music that is exclusive to Iraq and has rarely been showcased abroad. There are many reasons why Iraqi music stands alone in the dynamic world of Arabic music: one example is the unbelievable rapid fire machine-gun rhythms fluttering atop the main tempo. This is the work of a unique nomadic hand drum called the khishba -- also known as the zanbour (Arabic for "wasp"). A style prominently featured here is the infamous Iraqi choubi -- a driving rhythmic style that can include fiddles, double reeded instruments, percussion, bass, keyboards and oud over its signature beat. Other styles featured are the basta (an urban Baghdadi style), the bezikh, and the pulsating hecha. Also heard is the mawal -- a vocal improv! that sets the tone of a song, regardless of the style. Additionally there are three cuts from Ja'afar Hassan's 1970s record, Let's Sing Together. Being a folk-rock record, it's a true anomaly for Iraq. Hassan was a mouthpiece for the Iraqi Socialist movement just a few years before Saddam Hussein. But most of the music in this collection was produced during the Saddam period between the 1980s and 2002. Since the 2003 invasion and the wholesale disassembly of the country, classic tracks like these may already be part of a disappeared past.
Choubi Choubi! Folk and Pop Sounds from Iraq
Those folky songs are the first draw of the album. But the real attraction are what compose the rest of it: hyper-kinetic, frantic dance grooves, using Middle Eastern scales strictly (unlike Ja'far Hassan), with a distinctively Iraqi rhythmic propulsiveness. Synth drums played incredibly fast so that it sounds like a machinegun, a wailing vocal, noodling keyboards, an occasional wind instrument or fiddle (it's the rat-a-tat machinegun drum machine sound that differentiates it from Syrian, Egyptian and other Arab popular styles, they say). It's both modern and traditional: thumping electronic bass and drums (distinctly analog and fuzzy) with village-style vocals and fiddles and flutes. It's also the fastest music you've ever heard. These songs beautifully evoke their creation sometime in the 80s, somewhere in Iraq, using no more resources than a Casio keyboard, a drum machine, and someone who can sing. Everything is completely lo-fi but completely compelling. I should add that it's all very loud and heavy-sounding, which makes it all the more powerful.
I have to say that over the last year, since I got this album, it has probably been the music I have listened to most. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Buy it now, if you have any interest in Middle Eastern music, or any interest in the forgotten popular music of the last few decades.
The music on Choubi Choubi! is totally nutzoid. - Paul Costuros
Product Description
Meticulously selected from Iraqi cassettes and LPs found in Syria, Europe and the Iraqi neighborhoods of Detroit, Michigan, this unique collection of folk and pop styles displays a wealth of outstanding music that is exclusive to Iraq and has rarely been showcased abroad. There are many reasons why Iraqi music stands alone in the dynamic world of Arabic music: one example is the unbelievable rapid fire machine-gun rhythms fluttering atop the main tempo. This is the work of a unique nomadic hand drum called the khishba -- also known as the zanbour (Arabic for "wasp"). A style prominently featured here is the infamous Iraqi choubi -- a driving rhythmic style that can include fiddles, double reeded instruments, percussion, bass, keyboards and oud over its signature beat. Other styles featured are the basta (an urban Baghdadi style), the bezikh, and the pulsating hecha. Also heard is the mawal -- a vocal improv! that sets the tone of a song, regardless of the style. Additionally there are three cuts from Ja'afar Hassan's 1970s record, Let's Sing Together. Being a folk-rock record, it's a true anomaly for Iraq. Hassan was a mouthpiece for the Iraqi Socialist movement just a few years before Saddam Hussein. But most of the music in this collection was produced during the Saddam period between the 1980s and 2002. Since the 2003 invasion and the wholesale disassembly of the country, classic tracks like these may already be part of a disappeared past.
Choubi Choubi! Folk and Pop Sounds from Iraq
Choubi Choubi! Folk and Pop Sounds from Iraq,Various Artists,Sublime Frequencies,Int'l & World Music,Iraqi,Pop,Traditional Middle Eastern Folk,V/a Compilations,Worldbeat
Average customer rating: 
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Choubi Choubi! Folk and Pop Sounds from Iraq
Various Artists Manufacturer: Sublime Frequencies ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  Traditional Folk
| Folk
| Styles
| Music
General
| International
| Styles
| Music
General
| Middle East
| International
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B000AOENGI Release Date: 2005-09-27 |
Tracks:
- They Taught Me
- Segue Bezikh
- Oh Mother, The Handsome Man Tortures Me - Brian Bawinkle
- Yumma, Al Hilou (Mother, Here's My Beauty)
- Ahl Al Aqil (Oh, People of Reason)
- Choubi Choubi
- Ya Binaya Goumi (Oh Girl, Stand Up)
- Front My Hope
- Ala Honak (Take It Easy)
- Ashhad Biannak Hilou (I Admit You Are Beautiful)
- Walla (By God)
- Palestinian
Album Description
Meticulously selected from Iraqi cassettes and LPs found in Syria, Europe and the Iraqi neighborhoods of Detroit, Michigan, this unique collection of folk and pop styles displays a wealth of outstanding music that is exclusive to Iraq and has rarely been showcased abroad. There are many reasons why Iraqi music stands alone in the dynamic world of Arabic music: one example is the unbelievable rapid fire machine-gun rhythms fluttering atop the main tempo. This is the work of a unique nomadic hand drum called the khishba -- also known as the zanbour (Arabic for "wasp"). A style prominently featured here is the infamous Iraqi choubi -- a driving rhythmic style that can include fiddles, double reeded instruments, percussion, bass, keyboards and oud over its signature beat. Other styles featured are the basta (an urban Baghdadi style), the bezikh, and the pulsating hecha. Also heard is the mawal -- a vocal improv! that sets the tone of a song, regardless of the style. Additionally there are three cuts from Ja'afar Hassan's 1970s record, Let's Sing Together. Being a folk-rock record, it's a true anomaly for Iraq. Hassan was a mouthpiece for the Iraqi Socialist movement just a few years before Saddam Hussein. But most of the music in this collection was produced during the Saddam period between the 1980s and 2002. Since the 2003 invasion and the wholesale disassembly of the country, classic tracks like these may already be part of a disappeared past.Customer Reviews:
An incredible album.......2007-04-29
Those folky songs are the first draw of the album. But the real attraction are what compose the rest of it: hyper-kinetic, frantic dance grooves, using Middle Eastern scales strictly (unlike Ja'far Hassan), with a distinctively Iraqi rhythmic propulsiveness. Synth drums played incredibly fast so that it sounds like a machinegun, a wailing vocal, noodling keyboards, an occasional wind instrument or fiddle (it's the rat-a-tat machinegun drum machine sound that differentiates it from Syrian, Egyptian and other Arab popular styles, they say). It's both modern and traditional: thumping electronic bass and drums (distinctly analog and fuzzy) with village-style vocals and fiddles and flutes. It's also the fastest music you've ever heard. These songs beautifully evoke their creation sometime in the 80s, somewhere in Iraq, using no more resources than a Casio keyboard, a drum machine, and someone who can sing. Everything is completely lo-fi but completely compelling. I should add that it's all very loud and heavy-sounding, which makes it all the more powerful.
I have to say that over the last year, since I got this album, it has probably been the music I have listened to most. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Buy it now, if you have any interest in Middle Eastern music, or any interest in the forgotten popular music of the last few decades.
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