Omar Souleyman
Bahdeni Nami
MONKEYTOWN
7/10
It wouldn’t be outrageous to assume that Syrian wedding singer Omar Souleyman charges slightly more for his nuptial ceremony services now that his rapid-fire circus-synth sounds and high tonal shrieks have made their way into the avant-electro mainstream via coproductions with Four Tet’s Kieran Hebden, remixes for Björk, and his brand-new album Bahdeni Nami. As with 2013’s Wenu Wenu, Hebden plays with the knobs on the album’s title (and closing) track—a densely packed number through which the chanter-cantor howls—but other producers also have a hand in Souleyman’s surging, seemingly holy sound this time around. Modeselektor manipulates “Leil el Bareh” into an arid open windstorm while Gilles Peterson pushes “Tawwalt el Gheba” into a grooving jazzy ride with the singer in the front seat, of course. No matter who is mixing, though, Souleyman—still in his familiar shades and traditional robes—is the star, and his poignant vocals are as magnetic as his look is unique.
