Radio Ngoma #9 Eternity: North Africa and Middle Eastern mix

Thanks to the mighty Generation Bass blog for drawing my attention to this mix.

Radio Ngoma say:
NGOMA 9 focuses on North Africa and the Middle East. On the other side of the sahara, African rhythms become more angular, colder; and the tones deeper, ominously darker, comprised of what we in the west call ‘minor keys’. Mostly comprising of killer classics from several different eras and regions, sometimes re-fixed and mashed up: Egyptian darbuka meets Kraftwerk, Palestinian electric oud spiced with afro drums, Israeli folk music with the moombah treatment. Also included are some relatively contemporary groups like the unique electro-dub outfit Checkpoint 303, as well as Arabic diaspora sounds like Algerian expat Hiphop made in France.
Algerian and Moroccan Rai is central to this mix, including Cheikha Rimitti‘s huge hit Ana Ou Ghzali, and two awe inspiring pieces by Cheba Fadela which were re-issued by Factory Records (Manchester) in 1986. Songs by Hassan Houssini, Reda Taliani, and Cheba Zahouania in a more traditional desert tribal style are more energetic, and make up the ecstatic frenzied peak. Rai is an immersive experience: once you are in the grips of this music and its trance-like states, it is a force which will not let go, but keeps spiraling, like the dervishes, for ever — music non stop.
The Arabic title means ‘Eternity’, and it describes both the timeless quality of these grooves, as well as the mystical feeling they convey on a visceral level: transcending the here and now, and touching, if for but a few fleeting moments, something outside our human limitations, constant and without end.

More details and track list HERE

Stream on MixCloud HERE