The Tour has been confirmed and announced. Porest will return to Syria to escort Omar Souleyman and his group to the UK where a rendezvous with Alan Bishop and Hisham Mayet will occur with Group Doueh from Morocco in tow. We will do ten dates in the UK and the travel onward to Europe.
Tour dates are as follows:
UK
MAY 2009
Wed 20 BRIGHTON, ST GEORGE'S CHURCH
(Brighton Festival)
7.15pm / £12.50 adv / 01273 709709 / www.brightonfestival.org
Thu 21 BIRMINGHAM, HARE & HOUNDS
(Promoted by Capsule)
8pm / £10 / www.theticketsellers.co.uk / www.capsule.org
Fri 22 GLASGOW, STEREO
7pm / £10 / 0870 220 1116 / www.tickets-scotland.com
Sat 23 NEWCASTLE, STAR & SHADOW -
(Promoted by No-Fi)
Films 6pm-7.30pm; Music 8pm-12am / £10 adv / www.seetickets.com / www.no-fi.org.uk
Sun 24 BRISTOL, FIDDLERS
(Promoted by Qu Junktions)
8pm-1am / / £9 adv / www.bristolticketshop.co.uk / www.qujunktions.com
Mon 25 FALMOUTH, MISS PEAPODS
(Promoted by Lono Records)
8pm-12am / £10 / www.thepoly.org / 01326 212300 / www.lonorecords.com
Wed 27 MANCHESTER, MINT LOUNGE
(Promoted by Faktion)
9pm-1am / £8 adv/£10 door (£9 NUS concession on door only) / 0161 839 8008 / www.boomkat.com / www.faktionmcr.blogspot.com
Thu 28 NORWICH, ARTS CENTRE
8pm-11pm / £10/£8 concessions / 01603 660352 / www.norwichartscentre.co.uk
Fri 29 LONDON, TUFNELL PARK DOME
(Promoted by Upset The Rhythm)
8pm-2am / £10 / www.wegottickets.com / www.upsettherhythm.co.uk
Sat 30 CAMBRIDGE, ALL SAINTS CHURCH
(Palimpsest Festival)
2pm-11pm / £18 adv / www.palimpsest-festival.co.uk
SUBLIME FREQUENCIES FILMS
AND DISCUSSION EVENTS
Tue 19 MAY BRISTOL, CUBE CINEMA – FILMS and DISCUSSION (Promoted by Qu Junktions)
7.30pm / £2 (no one turned away due to lack of funds) / 0117 907 4190 / www.cubecinema.com
Tues 26 MAY LONDON, DOWNSTAIRS AT THE DOME – FILMS & DISCUSSION
(Promoted by Upset The Rhythm)
8pm / £5 / www.wegottickets.com / www.upsettherhythm.co.uk
EUROPE:
MAY:
Sun 31 PARIS, VILETTE SONIQUE*
www.villettesonique.com
JUNE:
Tue 02 PARIS, LES INSTANTS CHAVIRES
www.instantschavires.com
Wed 03 PARIS, LES INSTANTS CHAVIRES
www.instantschavires.com
Thu 04 AMSTERDAM, OCCII
www.rebelup.org / www.occii.org
Fri 05 LUXEMBOURG CITY, EXIT 07
www.rotondes.lu
Sat 06 HASSELT, KUNSTENCENTRUM BELGIE
www.kunstencentrumbelgie.com / www.kraak.net
Sun 07 ROTTERDAM, WORM
www.wormweb.nl
Tue 09 STOCKHOLM, KAGELBANAN
www.sodrateatern.com
Thu 11 AARHUS, PAKHUSET
www.ljud.dk
Fri 12 GOTHENBURG, CLANDESTINO FESTIVAL
www.bwanaclub.org
Sat 13 BERLIN, FESTSAAL KREUZBERG
www.clubtransmediale.de / www.festsaal-kreuzberg.de
Sun 14 BERLIN, FESTSAAL KREUZBERG
www.clubtransmediale.de / www.festsaal-kreuzberg.de
Tue 16 COLOGNE, STADTGARTEN
www.stadtgarten.de / www.myspace.com/reconstructingsong
Wed 17 GENEVA, L'USINE
www.cave12.org
Thu 18 GENEVA, L'USINE
www.cave12.org / www.usine.ch
Sat 20 TOULOUSE, RIO LOCO FESTIVAL **
www.rio-loco.org
Sun 21 LISBON, CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN FOUNDATION
www.filhounico.com
* Omar Souleyman only
** Alan Bishop Magreb DJ set only
Please Note: The bands do not play at FILMS and DISCUSSION events.
Qu Junktions and Sublime Frequencies Present:
Live in Concert: OMAR SOULEYMAN
Omar Souleyman is a musical legend from Syria. For the past 15 years,
he and his group have emerged as a staple of folk-pop throughout the country,
having issued more than five-hundred studio and live-recorded cassette albums
which are easily spotted in the shops of any Syrian city.
Hailing from the rural Northeastern city of Ras Al Ain, Souleyman began his
musical career in 1994 with a small group of local collaborators that remain with him today. The group tirelessly performs concerts throughout Syria and has accepted invitations to perform abroad in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Lebanon.
The myriad musical traditions of the region are evident in their music, which reflect the sounds of Syia, Iraq, Turkey and the sizable Kurdish population. The moods swing from coarse and urgent to dirgy and contemplative in the rugged anthems that comprise Souleyman's repertoire. Expect the ultimate party music. Omar's superb and varied vocal stylings feature over high-octane Syrian "Dabke" (the regional folkloric dance music) and a host of other styles. Frantic Arabic keyboard solos provided by the incredible Rizan Sa'id intertwine with reeds, stringed instruments and percussion. Mahmoud Harbi, a long-time collaborator and the man responsible for much of the poetry sung by Souleyman accompanies Omar for an unforgettable onstage collaboration as they perform the Ataba, a traditional form of folk poetry, where Omar's
unaccompanied freestyle "mawal" singing stands in a league of its own.
Sublime Frequencies & QuJunktions are honored to present the Western debut of Omar Souleyman and his group with this UK/European concert tour. This is a rare opportunity to glimpse into Syrian street-level folk-pop – a phenomenon seldom heard in the West in this form, and rarely, if ever, included on the import agenda of worldwide academic musical committees. Experience the genuine sounds of Syria and the Middle East without the condescending polish and shine of much exported "world beat".
Live in Concert: GROUP DOUEH
Group Doueh are led by the enigmatic guitar hero Bamaar Salmou, who is known simply as ‘Doueh’ (pronounced: ‘Doo-way’). They are from Dakhla, in the Western Sahara. The group's sound is rooted in the traditional foundations of Sahrawi/Hassania music, but one that is also entirely its own. It shares its roots with the neighboring styles of Mauritanian music, however Group Doueh have managed to transcend the classical limitations of that music with a fiery, independent, and avant approach that incorporates a distinctly pop and rock element that is anomalous in the region. This is a sound that can only come from the land that inspired it. This is the sound of the Sahara desert. It is a searing, meditative, and hypnotic modal sandstorm of note clusters that has been cathartic to anyone who has heard it. Group Doueh have been playing together for over 20 years. The band consists of their leader, Doueh on guitar and tinidit, his wife Halima on vocals and tbal, their son Jamal on organ, and longtime friend Bashiri also on vocals. They had declined several offers from Moroccan, French and Spanish recording labels to release their music. It was not until Sublime Frequencies, after a long search for the music landed them at the man's house in Dakhla, that Doueh agreed to have his music released for the very first time. Sublime Frequencies & QuJunktions are proud to present Group Doueh's first ever UK appearance and extended shows in Europe.
=This tour will feature screenings of the newest DVD project by Sublime Frequencies
"PALACE OF THE WINDS"
a film by Hisham Mayet
(45 minutes/color)
Palace of the Winds explores a culture that is cloaked in mystery and mired in struggle: the Saharawis from the dry, tea-fueled and wind swept Mauritanian Sahara. Journey through music from the northern fringes of the Western Sahara to the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott--an intoxicating tapestry of sight and sound from some of this obscure region's most legendary musicians. (The filmmaker, Hisham Mayet will be in attendance)
=Each date will feature a Sublime Frequencies DJ Set
(DJs: Mark Gergis & Alan Bishop)
Mind-Blowing DJ set featuring retro 1960’s and 1970’s Hybrid-Pop Rock Folk Beat Yeh-Yeh Go-Go Freak Beat Psychedelic Surf and many indigenous styles from North Africa, The Middle East, South and Southeast Asia.
===================
Sublime Frequencies was founded in 2003 by Alan Bishop, Hisham Mayet, and Richard Bishop. In just over 5 years, the label has produced 35 CDs, 8 DVDs, and 5 LPs.
Sublime Frequencies specializes in releasing audio & video from North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The presentation, aesthetic, and approach sidesteps traditional ethnomusicology, academic protocol and corporate funding, documenting the sound and images of ignored cultural phenomenon rich in expressive ideas.
The projects are divided into four areas of presentation: regional radio collages, field recordings, folk and pop music compilations, and video/film documentaries. Sublime Frequencies is self-motivated, self-financed, and fearless in approach. The world is changing so quickly that it has become apparent that cultures and ideas from less-developed countries will be buried and replaced entirely by the export of western-styled culture unless there are alternative perceptions of the great traditions and hybrids of these traditions that still remotely exist today across the globe.
The productions are not limited to their own archive and expand to the many associates the group correspond and work with who have similar interests. The list of contributors to the label includes Mark Gergis, Robert Millis, Tucker Martine, fm3, Laurent Jeanneau, Carlos Casas, Stuart Ellis, Hicham Chadly, Geoff Hawrylk, and Anla Courtis.
Today’s ‘controlled’ presentation of foreign culture, traditions, and spiritualism in the west is steeped in judgment and spin agenda. SF are presenting some of the greatest expressive music in the world with only one agenda in mind: that it needs to be heard or seen, respected and recognized.
www.sublimefrequencies.com
www.myspace.com/sublimefrequencies2
