Album Review: Omar Souleyman – Wenu Wenu

From Syrian weddings to the stages of Glastonbury, Omar Souleyman will one day be a legend amongst the best of wedding singers. Making a name for himself as the go-to matrimonial entertainer in Northern Syria, Souleyman performs a traditional strain of Arabic music known as dabke; a popular and intricate Middle Eastern dancefloor filler that sees lines of revellers erupt into joyous moves.

Growing popularity in his home country by peddling cassette recordings of original wedding sets like they were LPs, Omar Souleyman has gone on to form one of the oddest pairings in music history by enlisting the help of British electronic musician Four Tet to produce his first official album Wenu Wenu.

And as if those weren’t enough credentials, the mysterious Souleyman has also formed alliances in none other than ethereal queen Bjork and Brit pop’s own Damon Albarn, both who have collaborated on tracks with the new king of crossover. Recorded thousands of miles away from his native war-torn Syria, Wenu Wenu makes for interesting listening as a culture clash of instruments combine in a perfect cacophony of old and new.

Dabke music has seen a revival in recent years, with artists like Souleyman finding similarities between its traditional rhythmic beats and their replication in the ever-popular world of dance music. This particular strain of dabke holds its integrity whilst bringing itself fully into modernity with the overlaying of synthesizers and eighties tinged drum machines.

On first inspection, everything about Wenu Wenu and the partnership with Four Tet screams culture collision but when you look at how dabke has been transitioning in its own way towards electronics, the collaboration is not so surprising. There was always a risk of it being overly produced with Four Tet at the helm, with the piling on of to much electronic influence leading Souleyman into unknown territory. Thankfully though, Wenu Wenu has stayed true to its heritage with those electronic touches simply adding panache and interesting twists to a traditional sound.

Title track ‘Wenu Wenu’ is the perfect introduction to dabke and will no doubt be a hit as much in the sweaty basement clubs of Dalston as it will be at raucous weddings in the Middle East. It involuntarily provokes dancing, although endurance is tested by its length and the repetitive nature of its harmony. ‘Warni Warni’, meanwhile, is as complex as ‘Wenu Wenu’ with keyboardist Rizan Sa’id working overtime to deliver reams of solo finger work to Souleyman’s singing. It is full throttle and relentless throughout its duration with barely a break for rest.

In fact that seems to be the trend throughout Wenu Wenu as an album. It tends to race through itself with little variation between songs. The only tempo change comes with ‘Khattaba’, which although still danceable takes on a steady introspective beat and hand clapping against looser vocals.

Although the album may be obscure to new ears, those that stick with it are guaranteed to be entranced by the techno seamlessly hidden underneath celebratory melodies and vocals. Seeing as no one makes beats quite like Four Tet and no one does a wedding like Omar Souleyman; this album should keep everyone dancing till dawn.

– Sarah Joy