Omar Souleyman, born in Ra’s al-'Ayn, Syria, released his first full-length American album Tuesday. The album, titled Wenu Wenu, promises to bring the Syrian wedding singer to further recognition in the American indie electronic scene.
Wenu Wenu combines traditional Syrian wedding music, full of moving percussion and lyrics that have a mix of the Arabic and Kurdish languages. Souleyman is able to seamlessly blend his musical skills as a wedding singer in Syria with rapid electronic beats and samples. Many electronic enthusiasts took note of Souleyman’s abilities in 2011, when Bjork selected him to remix her song “Crystaline.”
Souleyman has released over 800 recordings, most of which were recorded at weddings and given as gifts to the newly married couple. He is widely known as one of the premier dabke artists in Syria. Dabke is a style of Arab folk dance in the Mediterranean region of the Middle East, performed usually at weddings or other celebrations.
Wenu Wenu shines brightly, with its energetic dance tracks that fuse traditional music with underground electronic styling. The track “Warni Warni” starts off with smooth drums and eases into a swift electronic backing beat. Souleyman’s vocals match well with the instrumentation and non-Arabic speakers can easily dance and move along to the song.
“Nahy,” the album's third track, opens with a sharp pan flute introduction, and then moves quickly into Souleyman’s vocals, with a beat that pulses throughout the five-and-a-half-minute song. The slower—yet still forcefully energetic—“Yagbuni” finishes off the album in a six-minute serenade of smooth synth and pounding traditional drums.
The album’s most impressive track is “Ya Yumma,” with a clap beat that accentuates Souleyman’s lyrics. The song’s keyboard solo blows away the other tracks, a perfect instrumentation placed with backing percussion. The keyboardist digs into the instrument, showing off musical finesse unheard in most electronic synthesizing today.
Souleyman has been playing music for almost two decades, and he is sure to continue his rise in the indie electronic scene. His talent is unique to the American scene, and he is sure to pique the interest of many electronic artists and producers for years to come.
Rating: A-
