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The curious case of the Syrian singer.
Other | Monday 21st October 2013 | Alex
When browsing the BBC’s news section this morning, as I do every morning in that blissful state between being horizontal and vertical, my fuzzy mind hadn't imagined I'd stumble across Syrian wedding singer extraordinaire, Omar Souleyman. The Beeb were three days late to the party, with The Guardian having already published a well written piece by Ben Beaumont-Thomas on Friday Afternoon, but it’s always nice to read something of this ilk on a Monday morning, isn’t it?
So who is Omar Souleyman and why would you want to know about him? Here, we have a man born in 1966, with a career spanning nearly 19 years and with anywhere between 500 and 700 albums under his belt. From this we can ascertain that the boy’s done alright for himself so far. The album figure is slightly skewed as many of his releases are live recordings from wedding gigs, which are then copied and distributed around market stalls. This, however, is what makes Omar’s story so worth writing about: taking wedding songs and transforming them into tempo dance numbers, he really is a true wedding singer. Such obscurities always sit well with the egocentric hipstocracies in the trendier parts of New York or Los Angeles.
In the past, Souleyman has worked with artists like Bjork and Gorillaz, demonstrating a certain level of pedigree. His music isn't exactly my cup of tea but nonetheless his ability to transform an inherently Syrian musical style into a broader, more accessible genre is commendable. Of course, sharing a label with Laura Marling and being on a subsidiary of Domino doesn’t do you much harm, either.
What Beaumont-Thomas points out so well are the parallels between Souleyman’s story and that of his war torn homeland. In a touching final paragraph, he states that the joy once heard in Omar’s pounding rhythms has been replaced by the frustration of not being able to alleviate the suffering in his home country. This is a valid point if ever there was one. His music is all about a happiness and unification of people and souls, but as the crisis in Syria continues to rage, how can his music be appreciated as it was intended to be?
Omar Souleyman: Wenu Wenu – album review: Syrian singer Omar Souleyman's first album sees Four Tet in the prod... http://t.co/J75Wh1XHLD
— Louder Than War (@louderthanwar) October 20, 2013
I don’t think Omar ever intended to become a symbol of the Syrian people’s desire to end the conflict. It’d be surprising if he wanted to be considered that. At a time when Syrian anguish has never been higher, Omar’s voice has never been heard louder or wider.
Alex Taylor
https://twitter.com/alextaylor18
