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LP
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WWSLP 102LP
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Wewantsounds reissues Fairuz's classic album Chat Iskandaria released on Relax-in in 1987. The album sees "The Lebanese Diva" going back to her roots and interpreting classic songs by the Rahbani Brothers in her own style accompanied by hypnotic traditional orchestral arrangements. Coming with its original deluxe gatefold sleeve, the album -- curated by Mario Choueiry from Institut du Monde Arabe (Paris), who also wrote the liner notes -- has been newly remastered by Colorsound Studio in Paris. Fairuz is a living legend and one of the greatest divas of the Arab world. For more than sixty years, she has been at the heart of Arabic music, releasing landmark albums since the early '50s and performing on stages around the globe. Fairuz rose to prominence through her collaboration with the Rahbani Brothers (Assi and Mansour), a creative partnership that began in the 1950s and flourished through the 1970s, producing a vast repertoire of timeless songs that remain beloved across the Arab world and beyond. In the late 1970s, Fairuz shifted to a more modern sound with albums such as Wahdon (1979) and Maarifti Feek (1986), produced by her son Ziad Rahbani, blending jazz, funk, and other contemporary influences into her music. However, Chat Iskandaria, released in 1987, marks a return to her classic Rahbani sound, offering a more traditional yet captivating approach to Arabic music. The album sees Fairuz interpreting a selection of Rahbani Brothers compositions in their signature theatrical and orchestral style, with themes ranging from nostalgia and love -- including a heartfelt homage to the city of Alexandria -- to the passage of time, central motifs in much of their work the legendary poet Saïd Akl contributes to two songs, "Min Rawabina Al Kamar" and "Fattehhon Alay." Unlike her more experimental collaborations with Ziad Rahbani, Chat Iskandaria stays firmly rooted in traditional Lebanese and Levantine musical aesthetics. Rich in melody and poetic imagery, it showcases Fairuz at her most evocative, supported by the refined orchestral arrangements that defined her golden era with the Rahbanis. Chat Iskandaria is a must-have for lovers of classical Arabic music and a poignant reminder of the enduring artistic bond between Fairuz and the Rahbani Brothers. Wewantsounds releases the album on vinyl for the first time since its original 1987 release, featuring its beautiful gatefold sleeve, remastered audio and a new bilingual introduction by Mario Choueiry (Institut du Monde Arabe).
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LP
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WWSLP 064LP
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2025 restock; Wewantsounds present a first-time vinyl reissue Fairuz's classic album Kifak Inta produced by her son Ziad Rahbani in the late '80s and only released on cassette and CD in 1991. Composed and arranged by Rahbani, who had already produced Wahdon (1979) and Maarifti Feek (1987), Kifak Inta features his usual blend of jazz, funk, and Arabic music, spiced up with Brazilian influences serving Fairuz's beautiful voice. Fairuz is a living legend and one of the greatest divas of the Arab world. She came to prominence in the '50s crossing path with the Rahbani Brothers (Assi and Mansour) an encounter that turned into a fruitful collaboration that would last until the '70s, spawning countless classics in the process. Fairuz's marriage with Assi produced a son, Ziad, who would start a brilliant career as a cutting-edge playwright, musician, and producer in the early '70s. When Assi Rahbani became ill in the mid-70s and the couple separated, Ziad took over as Fairuz's musical director and started to add elements of jazz, funk, and bossa nova to her music. The collaboration started in 1979 with Wahdon which included the funky cult classic "Al Bosta". They worked together again in 1983-84 on the album Maarifti Feek which was released in 1987 and continued their collaboration with Kifak Inta a few years later. The album was released on the Lebanese label Relax-in in 1991 on cassette and CD only, but, although there are no recording dates listed, the track "Ouverture 87" indicates it was recorded around that year. The album follows the same pattern as previous Ziad Rahbani productions for his mother and mixes traditional Arabic music ("Farewell Song", "It's Not a Problem"), jazz-funk ("Ya Leili Leili Leili"), and bossa nova ("Indi Thika Fik"), all featuring Ziad's superb orchestrations and slick arrangements. The jewel in the crown is the album's title track, "Kifak Inta" (And You, How Are You?), a ballad written and composed by Ziad Rahbani. The song is sung by a woman opening her heart to her childhood sweetheart, now married to another woman, and confessing she still loves him. The subject was controversial and created quite a stir when the song came out in the still conservative Lebanese society of the time. The track "Prova" which closes side one is a fascinating studio rehearsal of "Kifak Inta" featuring both Ziad and Fairuz. Remastered audio by Colorsound Studio in Paris. Includes new liner notes (French/English) by Mario Choueiry (Institut Du Monde Arabe).
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LP
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WWSLP 036LP
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2025 repress. Following the reissue last year of Fairuz's classic 1979 album Wahdon (WWSLP 022LP), Wewantsounds pursue their exploration of great Lebanese music with the first vinyl reissue of Fairuz's highly sought-after LP Maarifti Feek, originally released in 1987. Recorded in Beirut around 1983-84, the album features the diva's superb voice combined with Ziad Rahbani's jazz and funk orchestration, making it one of the most in-demand albums on the Arabic funk scene. One of the greatest singers of the Middle East, Fairuz started her career in Lebanon in the '50s and quickly established herself as the most renowned Diva in the Arabic world, playing the most prestigious venues in the world. At the end of the '70s, Fairuz was at a turning point both professionally and personally. Her husband Assi Rahbani, who, with his brother Elias, had penned her biggest successes, has suffered a stroke a few years earlier. This setback ultimately led to both the demise of their marriage and the end of their professional partnership. Enter Ziad Rahbani, Fairuz and Assi's son, a young musician, playwright, and producer who had cut his teeth writing a handful of Fairuz's song -- including her 1973 hit "Sa'alouni El Nas" -- at just seventeen. Ziad Rahbani swiftly took over from his father and uncle as the singer's musical director and composer and this fruitful association, which started in 1979 with the album Wahdon, broke many new grounds for Fairuz with funkier rhythms and edgier lyrics. It was recorded at the same time as Rahbani's own 12" Abu Ali (WWSLP 027LP) which became a sought-after disco classic in its own right. The association between the two continued with a second album, Maarifti Feek ("Our Encounter"), recorded between 1983 and '84 in Beirut but only released in 1987. The album was another groundbreaking mix of influences ranging from the traditional arrangements of "Oudak Rannan" and "Ma Kdirt Nseet" to the Brazilian flavor of "Version 1" via the synth funk of "Ouverture 83" and its follow-up "Reprise 83". Also featured on the album is a beautiful remake of Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concerto de Aranjuez" in the form of a tribute to the Lebanese capital, "Li Beirut." This blend of Oriental grooves with jazz and funk orchestrations by Ziad Rahbani is a unique document of Fairuz's career development in the '80s and explains why Maarifti Feek is such a sought-after album. Remastered from the original tapes.
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LP
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WWSLP 022LP
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2025 repress. Wewantsounds continues to pursue its exploration of great Lebanese music with the reissue of Wahdon, released in 1978 by legendary Middle Eastern diva Fairuz and recorded during the Abu Ali sessions (WWSLP 021LP). The album includes the Lebanese dancefloor cult classic, "Al Bostah". 1978 was a turning point for the Lebanese diva. The '70s had seen her rise as an international star, playing sold out concerts in the US and in Europe, and appearing on national TV in France. She had had a long-lasting artistic collaboration with her husband Assi Rahbani and his brother Elias (aka The Rahbani Brothers) who, together, had penned most of the singer's classics. In 1978, Assi who had suffered a brain hemorrhage in 1972 got weaker and the collaboration finally ended (together with their personal relationship). Their 22-year-old son Ziad took over Fairuz's musical reins and set to work on their first album together, Wahdon ("Alone"), serving as her mother's producer, composer and musical director. Wahdon typifies this key moment in Fairuz's career when she switched from traditional to more modern arrangements. The first side of the album encapsulates the more traditional side of the singer with such mesmerizing songs as "Habaitak Ta Neseet Al Naoum" (I Loved You So Much I Forgot To Sleep) or "Ana Indi Haneen" (I'm Nostalgic), filled with gorgeous Arabic strings and percussion. The second side though is a whole different affair. Recorded in Athens at the EMI Greece studio at the same time as the Abu Ali sessions, the two long tracks brings a hipper, contemporary funk and disco feel that has made the album such a collector's item with DJs and diggers around the world. Clocking at almost nine minutes "Al Bostah" (The Bus) tells the story a woman in love remembering a bus journey with her lover under a scorching heat, enhanced by an hypnotic up-tempo funkified disco beat, while "Wahdon" brings a slower and jazzier underlay to Fairuz's superb singing. These tracks shocked some of the diva's fans at the time but they've since passed the test of time and have become highly sought after. Whadon has since become both a classic Fairuz album and a cult Ziad Rahbani production that Wewantsounds is delighted to bring to a wider audience for the first time.
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