A funkadelic trio encounters a tireless, prodigiously gifted musician for a groove jewel of euphoric agility.
Renowned purveyor of Arabic music delights with a strong groove, the Berlin label Habibi Funk, which alternates essential reissues and new releases, treats us once again with its first release of 2026. This one is a brand-new album that broadens the label’s geographic reach, as it results from a deliberate meeting—not at all accidental—between Lebanese singer-songwriter Charif Megarbane and the Indonesian trio Ali.
Formed in 2021, revealed by a programmatic first single titled (Dance, Habibi), Ali serves up a sharply crafted cocktail blending Indonesian psychedelic funk, disco, and Middle Eastern music. Author of more than a hundred albums, under his own name or under various pseudonyms, Charif Megarbane, on the cusp of his forties, practices a mixing of styles with incredible agility.
An Irresistible Rhythmic Drive, Shimmering Arrangements
Recorded in Berlin during Ali’s European tour, Tirakat delivers thirteen original tracks, instrumental or sung, composed for a quartet but performed in varying configurations. The musical connection tying the Arab world and Indonesia (whose substantial booklet traces the long history) finds here a striking illustration.
Powered by an irresistible rhythmic momentum and adorned with shimmering arrangements, the album shines throughout. Mosaics, Jamal and especially Bandar Batavia stand out as the grooviest tracks, while Silk End provides an ideally silky conclusion.
Tirakat (Habibi Funk Records/Bigwax). Release on March 20.
