I try to keep my hand into whats new and exciting and to share this with you I'll occasionally review or rant about the latest find I've discovered so you can too. I've split them into the following sections:

• Events
• Music
• Books
• Web Sites

Events

Le Petit Souk - 19th May 2007
For the workshop reviews from this souk please click here.

Music

1. TEKITOI by Rachid Taha
2. EGYPT by Yousson N'Dour
3. THE ROUGH GUIDE to the music of North Africa
4. THE VERY BEST OF AMIR DIAB
5. SABLA TOLO 11 by Hossam Ramzy
6. VADALNA Solace Re-mixed
7. WHIRLING by Omar Faruk Tekbilek
8. FIREDANCE by Omar Faruk Tekbilek
9. ONE TRUTH by Omar Faruk Tekbilek
10. IMMORTAL EYGPT- Phil Thornton & Hossam Ramzy
11. ETERNAL EYGPT- Phil Thornton & Hossam Ramzy
12. PHARAOH- Phil Thornton
13. ENCHANTED EGYPT Phil Thornton & Hossam Ramzy
14. ABSOLUTE ORIENTAL- Various artists
15. ARABIA 'The Women's Voice'- Various female artistes
16. THE ROUGH GUIDE TO BELLYDANCE- Various artists
17. SECRETS OF THE EYE by Hossam Ramzy

TEKITOI by Rachid Taha
Having recently read a review of this album in a newspaper, I decided to buy it myself. Rachid Taha is a young, talented Arab (Algerian?) who has collaborated with the musician Steve Hillage (of 1970's band Gong), and has created a vibrant gutsy rock-arabic fusion album. If you like rock and roll you'll love this album with its energetic tunes and Rachid's gravelly raw vocals. By far the highlight of this album for me is a cover of 'Rock the Casbah' which has been re-vamped to give it a much more eastern flavour but without losing it's original impact. All the tracks have authentic arabic drumming and rhythms, and most of the tunes very catchy, though some of the lyrics are rebellious and downright angry. As an album to listen and boogie to in your own living room it's great, but if you wanted to pick a track to dance to you would need to read the lyrics carefully first, and the driving rhythms suggest a contemporary interpretation-maybe not so suitable for a cabaret performance in a restaurant! That said however, it's a brilliant album which I have played a lot and has even been enjoyed and commented on by my 70's music fan man!

EGYPT by Yousson N'Dour
I'd also heard of this album by the very famous African singer Yousson N'Dour, who apparently follows the Sufi religion. Although I don't know his work very well it's mainly African, sometimes with a western arrangement or flavour, so this album is somewhat of a departure from his usual material. As Egypt is part of North Africa, some of you will no doubt have already come across albums which combine Sudanese music with Egyptian, for example, and this album does just that. It seems to have more of an African feel to it, despite the fact that many of the musicians on the album are Arabic. Most of the songs have a definite religious content, with lyrics that revere or praise God and the saints and sages of Senegal, so they would not be obvious choices for dancing. If you love African music, and are excited by the cross-fertilisation of musical cultures, then you will enjoy this album, but it's not really belly dance music.

THE ROUGH GUIDE to the music of North Africa
Another great compilation from the Rough Guide series. This album feature tracks from Algerian, Egyptian and Moroccan artists. It's a very varied album, with funky African influenced tracks from the Sudan, lively Rai and more traditional sounding Egyptian music. If you are a beginner, checking out the range of Middle Eastern music available, this will give you a good selection, but with a more traditional favour.

THE VERY BEST OF AMIR DIAB
A very good selection of songs from the gorgeous and tuneful hunk Amir Diab, who is a hugely popular young star from Egypt. The album contains 'Nour el Ain' which is a popular dance piece, as well as the Santana sound-a-like 'Kalby Ekhtarak', well known 'Tamally Maak' and the soulful 'Ana Mahma Kibirt Sigheir'. A mainly up-tempo album with many pieces suitable for dancing to.

SABLA TOLO 11 by Hossam Ramzy
The first percussion album of the same name by Hossam was absolutely brilliant, so I was delighted to find that number two was equally as good. The tracks are varied and exciting, with evocative titles. Be warned, though, as this is purely percussion, with no melodies at all, but the sheer skill of the drummers make it just as musical as if it were a selection of songs. It is accompanied by a very educational booklet which breaks down the rhythms used, and the precise number repeats for each rhythm or section- very useful if you want to dance to one of the tracks, or practise your improvisation skills! It's fantastic and exhilarating to dance to- if you can stand the pace!

VADALNA Solace Re-mixed
The name Solace will be familiar to those of you into American Tribal Belly Dance. This music has been developed specifically to accompany this style of dance, and usually has a very modern, contemporary spare feel to it, although it is often inspired by traditional styles of gypsy, Indian and Arabic music. This album takes it one step further, and has remixed pieces so that they sound as if you could be at an Arabic Rave! Very atmospheric, with a driving constant beat, and not dissimilar to club music. Not sure if it would be easy to dance to but very enjoyable all the same.

WHIRLING by Omar Faruk Tekbilek
A beautiful album by the Turkish classical musician Omar Faruk Tekbilek. Omar plays many instruments and his style is a cross between folk/traditional and a sort of classical/abstract. He sometimes collaborates with other musicians, and the results are often atmospheric and relaxing, in a style that is uncomplicated and simpler than the usual orchestrated Egyptian Belly Dance music. Having said that his albums also contain lively original arrangements of traditional tunes, which get your feet (and hips!) moving! Apparently he studied Islam, so much of his music has a reverential, sacred quality. Whirling contains a mixture of both fast and slow tracks, which range in mood from gentle and reflective through to lively drum arrangements. The cover features a picture of dervishes in movement, and there are some beautiful reflective tracks which feature what appears to be religious chanting and singing. I regularly use tracks from this album both for warm-ups and cool-downs.

FIREDANCE by Omar Faruk Tekbilek
This album was created by Omar in collaboration with an American guitar virtuoso called Brian Keane, and has amore uptempo flavour, with more tracks suitable for dancing. However, there are several tracks that are particularly atmospheric, especially the heart wrenchingly beautiful 'Ask' and 'Dance of the Pharoahs'.

ONE TRUTH by Omar Faruk Tekbilek
The music on this album is imspired by the divine passion and poetry of Sufism, the mystical sect of Islam. All the tracks have their own haunting beauty and evocative melodies, of varying tempo. Most of the music is either traditional or has been created by Omar or by keyboard player Yuval Ron, with some pieces featuring voice and poetry. A very elegant and inspiration album, with pieces that touch the heart as well as making you want to dance. The spiritual aspect is very strong here, so it would not feel appropriate for cabaret Belly Dance, as it creates an atmosphere of reverence and prayer.

IMMORTAL EYGPT- Phil Thornton & Hossam Ramzy
This was one of the first albums I ever bought and I still think it's fantastic and use it regularly for warm-ups in my classes. Although I would class this as more 'New Age' meets the Middle East, there are several tracks that are suitable for dancing. If you like a bit of atmosphere with your Arabic melodies, but with authentic rhythms, you'll enjoy this. It's a great combination of eastern and western styles that work very well. We perform a couple of choreographed dances to two of the tracks and we always get comments about the wonderful music. New World -details as above Code: NWCD 455.

ETERNAL EYGPT- Phil Thornton & Hossam Ramzy
Another album very similar to Immortal Egypt, and just as good. The tracks vary from fast and lively to gentle and moody- perfect as background music or for a gentle cool down. New World Music 0198 678 1682 New Age Middle EasternCode: NWCD 416

PHARAOH- Phil Thornton
Although Hossam Ramzy is not listed as a major player on this album, he is credited as contributing some authentic rhythms, which you can clearly hear on a couple of the tracks. This album is more about creating atmosphere and not particularly authentic, but very enjoyable all the same. Perhaps a little more New Age than Middle Eastern, but useful mainly for warm-ups. New World Music- details as above CODE: NWCD 268

ENCHANTED EGYPT Phil Thornton & Hossam Ramzy
This is the latest addition to their collection of collaborative albums, and it definitely sounds different from their previous offerings. Although many of the tracks are almost funky and somehow contemporary sounding, you can hear that this album is more sophisticated and has greater depth. They gathered some of the best known and skilled musicians in Egypt to play on this album, and it shows. Although a lot less New Age and atmospheric than the other albums in the collection, the authentic rhythms and distinctly Arabic melodies make most of the pieces danceable, especially if you like something a bit unusual to perform to. The CD also contains interesting information about the tracks, musicians and instruments, which would be useful for those of you who want to know more about Middle Eastern music. New World Music- details as above CODE: CD557

ABSOLUTE ORIENTAL - Various artists
This is a very varied 4 CD compilation that offers a wide range of Arabic music, modern, traditional, western influenced, and a few old recordings. Tracks vary from the soulful 'Wine' from French-Arabic R&B singer Assia, the popular 'Ya Nour el Ain' by Amir Diab, and Natacha Atlas with 'Mistaneek' to tracks like 'Noura Noura' by Farid Elatrache and 'Nasra awiya we farha haniya' by Oum Kalthoum. I've used it a lot in my classes and it's very good value at around 20! Virgin France. Code: 724385 085727

ARABIA 'The Women's Voice' - Various female artistes
Another album that has been popular for some time and for good reason. It is a lovely album with some great songs by well-known female Arabic singers, both old and modern. The tracks vary considerably in tempo and style, but all the voices are wonderful. I know at least two teachers who have used tracks for choreographed dances. My particular favourites are the dramatic 'Habibi Tal Alyea' by Madonna, and the mellow 'Ana Bashak El Bahr' by Nagat. Manteca/Union Square Music Productions. Look at the web site of www.manteca.co.uk Code: 98458 20312

THE ROUGH GUIDE TO BELLYDANCE - Various artists
One of the excellent range of musical Rough Guides, this is another very varied compilation, with examples of different types of belly dance music. For someone just starting Belly Dance this would provide an introduction to a wide selection of music from different Arabic countries. Tracks range from short (but potentially exhausting!) pure percussion, to full orchestral and Turkish gypsy style. Some are suitable for dancing to, although there are a couple of oddities including the eccentric 'Arruga La Camisa' (Wrinkle the Shirt) by Armando El Mafufo, and the jazzy 'The Happy Sheik' by Rabih Abou-Kahlil. There are detailed sleeve notes about the history of Belly Dance and Arabic music. A very good buy from Oxfam for around 10. World Music Network. www.worldmusic.net CODE: 6 05633 100852 1

SECRETS OF THE EYE by Hossam Ramzy
One of many very good albums of varied pieces by the prodigious percussionist Hossam Ramzy for ARC Music who specialise in World Music. I think you can only buy Hossam's music from this company (who supply HMV) or his website. All his albums are of a high standard, and have a distinctive style of his own. Hossam has worked with many famous musicians including Sting and Robert Plant, and his compositions have a contemporary slant to them, even when playing a traditional tune. The album opens with the funky jazzy 'Asrar el Ein', and other tracks include 'El Hob Halal', and the sorrowful 'Aazab' (Suffering). ARC MUSIC. CODE: EUCD 1554.