The discovery: Ziyad al-Samman, pop burlesque
No to prejudices. It is not because one was born in Amman in Jordan to a Syrian father and a British mother that one should, as an artist, necessarily give in to the fusion between East and West, oud and guitar, folklore and electronics. So much the better. Living in London since his early adolescence, this exuberant multi-instrumentalist singer rarely mentions his origins throughout a thunderous first EP with the appearance of a pop cyclone. Certainly, we can find some “exotic” scents in the whirling and discoising Oh Habibi, that Patrick Hernandez of Born to Be Alive, but the influences and the desire are certainly to be sought elsewhere.
Towards his first musical loves, Prince or Thin Lizzy (very good point)? Or perhaps this guitar that his stepfather gave him when he was a teenager? Or because of these tastes which take him from grunge to electro via indie pop? Yes, there is all of that in its great and joyous sonic mess whose effervescence and vocal flights also take us back to those indestructible 80s when Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet or A-Ha never hesitated to sweeten up a lot. instrumental coating. But fortunately, Ziyad saves us from the disastrous diabetic turn by often choosing to make electricity speak, just to calm the synthetic glucose. To better understand the character, it is instructive to take a look at the clips where we discover the burlesque extravaganza of a man physically between Frank Zappa and Sacha Baron Cohen. And not just physically either.
Ziyad al-Samman Pleasure Complex (Yotanka). In concert on December 4 in Rennes (TransMusicales).
La playlist
Art Longo Quantum Ceviche
At first, caught up in the delightful naive ska-dub melody, we don’t pay too much attention to the words sung in French by the Swedish Claudia Jonas. Then we realize that this innocent voice is calling for murder. Faintness. Or not.
Greentea Peng Tardis
Through her original mix of dub, ragga, pop, hip-hop, Londoner Aria Wells becomes the spokesperson for the changes in a British capital constantly pushing its poorest inhabitants further away. Sad.
Jean Stop acting like
With his poignant and carnal voice, like an old hand on the circuit, even though he must be 25 years old max on the clock, Jean disturbs the senses. It’s not rap, it’s not song. But what is it then? It’s John.
luidji mummami
Crowned with the Joséphine Prize, the rapper-singer offers us a subtle ode to his grandmother, well that’s what we believe in the first verse, the rest turns out to be more complicated, but it remains a family story . Phew.
The Flower Your Move
Who said that techno and melody don’t go well together? Obviously inspired by the bouncy sounds and melancholic layers of Detroit in the 90s, this Swedish DJ and producer will make nostalgic people cry with this excerpt from her formidable first album.
Source: www.liberation.fr
