Stream Nadah El Shazly’s “Ahwar” / Show Monday
Nadah El Shazly is an Egyptian singer who cut her teeth in punk cover bands before gradually finding her own sound as an experimental musician. She blends traditional North African styles of music with avant garde-leaning electronic production for a blend wholly unlike anything else.
Her most recent record Ahwar (which you can stream below) was recorded with Sam Shalabi and Maurice Louca, both of whom are also members of The Dwarfs Of East Agouza (with Sun City Girls’ Alan Bishop). It’s a rare combination of talent that pushes the record onto a kind of next level plane of existence.
Ahwar is Arabic for Marshlands, named for those maze-like regions around Cairo. Like a maze it’s easy to get lost in – El Shazly’s vocals are a kind of siren song for letting the record’s sublime weirdness suck you into a dreamlike state. She sings in Arabic which also lends a layer of mystical exoticism for those who (like me) are not native speakers.
Ahwar originally came out in 2017 and mainly seems to be out of print – however you can still listen and purchase digital copies here.
El Shazly will perform this coming Monday at the Turf Club (opening for Iceage) and you can find tix and info here.
— Jon
