Acid Arab
Bringing a potent, technocentric mix of all things 'Eastern' to the table are Parisian tandem Guido Minisky and Hervé Carvalho, alias Acid Arab. The two DJs have fallen deeply in love with the soundscapes of North Africa, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, Ethiopia or even Mumbai, blending their finds with the club sounds they know best to create havoc on dancefloors across the globe:
“We are fascinated by eastern music and its codes, such as complex rhythmic structures (binary and ternary superimposing upon each other), which drive dancers to trance just like acid house does. We’d like to take these codes and use analog techno devices (beatboxes, bassline machines) to create something new: an oriental acid music, which combines the coldness of techno and the emotional and dramatic power of the East. Our knowledge of the dancefloor is now digested and we have spent night after night digging records and files to know more about Arabic music. We don’t want to be standard-bearers of mixing whatever, we just want to be of our days. Talking about mixing means there’s a split, a binary vision of an occidental vs. oriental world – this is has-been. We don’t paste oriental sounds on occidental beats, we want to embody both cultures without pretending to reinvent oriental music or fooling ourselves by believing we’re inventing eastern dance music. We just want to be part of it, and contribute to this brilliant and enormous masterpiece that this music is, and has been for thousands of years.”
Having recently released their highly-anticipated debut album, fittingly entitled "Musique de France" (Music from France), on Belgian imprint Crammed Discs, Acid Arab are currently touring Europe. Needless to say, they are a must-hear act on the live circuit.
In case you need further encouragement, listen to album track "Buzq Blues" in the player above, check out their Podcast for Groove Magazine, or simply watch the beautiful video to "Sayarat 303" below. The video contains shots from the 1987 short film "Seuls les oiseaux" (Only the birds) by Algerian independent filmmaker Ahmed Zir and is absolutely captivating.
Acid Arab are here to stay.
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