Following the release of Deena Abdelwahed’s ‘Flagranti‘ soundtrack in February, French-Tunisian record label Shouka line up their next release courtesy of Sofyann Ben Youssef aka Ammar 808.
Drawing on the North African Stambeli tradition, Ammar 808 plunges into the depths of African animist voodoo, blending ancestral chants with gombri instrumentation, drum machines and analog synths, resulting in a hypnotic album interweaved with modern frequencies.
Stambeli is conceived as both a healing and a religious practice, combining music, dance and chants in trance-like performances often dedicated to religious occasions. Stambeli music arrived in Tunisia with sub-Saharan Africans who came north through slavery, migration, or trade.
‘Super Stambeli‘ is a modern take on the traditional genre “processed through a time-travel washing-machine, a parallel-dimension earthquake portal, that aims to echo ancestral ceremonies through sub-harmonic speakers.”
‘Super Stambeli’ is scheduled for release on 21 April via Shouka. Order a copy.
Photo by Sia Rosenberg
TRACKLIST
1. Arbia
2. Doudou Brahim
3. Sidi Saad
4. Yarima