Unquestioned champion of the fusion between electronic music and Middle Eastern sonorities, the Paris-based group delivers an exhilarating fourth album, enriched with numerous invited vocalists, that should seriously shake up the dance floors.
Armed with an unbeatable name, Acid Arab propagates a concept of formidable effectiveness: blending electronic rhythms (drawn especially from acid house) with music from the Arab world to spark shimmering hybrid crackles, preferably at the heart of the night. Since its ignition in 2012, driven by Hervé Carvalho and Guido Minisky, the project has continually grown in power and notoriety. While it was initially conceived for clubs, in DJ sets, it has also developed in the studio and on stage, following a steady evolution across travels and encounters. The founding duo was quickly joined by Nicolas Borne, Kenzi Bourras and Pierre-Yves Casanova – the five collaborators forming the backbone of the group. From one album to the next, a variety of artists contribute with them, for the lyrics and vocal parts.
“The project keeps running and carries us forward for fourteen years,” notes Guido Minisky. “It reveals itself with infinite wealth, with every possible collaboration, every new path to explore. It never really stops.” Following the aptly titled Trois, their fourth album – titled Resonance – brings together no fewer than sixteen tracks and incorporates fifteen guest voices, some of whom had already joined the Acid Arab family in the past.
New Voices and Regulars
A faithful ally of the group, Sofiane Saidi blends his voice with that of Moroccan singer Ghita Lahmamssi on Goulou Marhaba, an enthralling opening track. Having contributed to Trois, the Syrian Wael Alkak delivers here a feverish new performance with Yasmine Halsham. Also present on the previous album, Moroccan singer Ghizlane Melih injects a fervent dynamism into the hypnotic refrain Zid Mazzika. Another longtime collaborator, Turkish artist Cem Yildiz appears on Atlas, a track marked by deep techno pulsations and traversed by sinuous saz motifs (long-necked lute).
Previously connected with Acid Arab through remixes, Yasmine Hamdan – a major figure on the Lebanese scene – elevates her majestic voice on Shahed Me Shayef, a long incantatory passage stirred by fervent tremors. Two other female artists from the younger generation stand out, Syrian Zeina Aftimos and Moroccan Rita L’Oujdia. Each proves highly intense, the former on MA7boubi, in the vein of Arab-infused techno, and the latter on Ghzal, leaning more toward rap and R&B. Two instrumental pieces are added to the fourteen sung tracks. Permeated throughout by a burning desire for trance, the whole project possesses a powerful resonance and testifies to a collective creativity at its best.
Resonance (All Night Long/Believe). Release on June 19.
