On Oman’s southeastern coast, a remarkable musical tradition keeps history alive. In the Ash-Sharqiyah region, descendants of East Africans brought via the Indian Ocean slave trade preserve their heritage through Al-Mudema—sailor songs sung in Swahili and Arabic and accompanied by Omani bagpipes, sea conch shells, and percussion.

A compilation of Tunisian rock, funk, disco and reggae, 1977–1984. Compiled by Cheb Mimo.

The legendary Roger Waters and acclaimed Palestinian musician Mona Miari are releasing a re-imagined version of the iconic song Comfortably Numb. 47 years after it was first released, with new Arabic verses that transform the Pink Floyd classic into a powerful battlecry to bring global attention to the continued genocide in Gaza. This new interpretation amplifies the song’s original message of rejecting extreme alienation and apathy.

Parallel Universe – Volume 1 marks the latest collaboration between Natacha Atlas and Samy Bishai — a bold reimagining of the musical crossroads between East and West. While its textures echo retro-futurism and electronic lineage, the spirit of the record is unmistakably present-tense — rooted in a boldly contemporary vision of Arabic pop, refracted through experimental production.

A mythic and introspective work, Syrr (Arabic for “secret”) transforms memory, loss, and lived experience into a shifting world of sound, voice, and embodied emotion. Written and composed by Maryam Saleh, a luminary of Egypt’s alternative music scene, the album traces a journey in which the self is fractured, questioned, reassembled, and ultimately expanded. Blending raw lyrical expression with subtle dramatics, Saleh crafts an immersive sonic autobiography rooted in intuition, embodiment, and human becoming.

Featuring artists from Morocco to Mauritania and from Tunis to Timbuktu, Desert Blues showcases the soulful and entrancing sounds of North Africa’s Sahara and Sahel regions. Bringing together international icons, rising talents, and exciting new discoveries, the album invites both longtime fans and first-time listeners into a vibrant musical landscape.

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the release of "Sweet Rebels – The Golden Era of Algerian Pop-Raï" Selected in Paris by Cheb Gero. The set features the raw energy of the Algerian Raï scene from the 80s and early '90s and its young stars Cheb Zahouani, Chaba Zohra and Abderrahmane Djalti. Newly remastered and including liner notes (FR/Eng) by Raï authority Rabah Mezouane, the compilation brings together eight cassette tracks from the electrifying period when Raï music was evolving from a more traditional sound to the mesmerising electro funk sound of the 80s.

Wewantsounds is delighted to continue its Algerian music reissue program with the release of Freh Khodja’s sought-after 1975 LP, Ken Andi Habib. Recorded in Paris with Les Flammes, a group of immigrant musicians, the album is now reissued for the first time. Selected by Paris-based DJ Cheb Gero, who recently compiled the Sweet Rebels Rai set and curated the Abranis LP release for Wewantsounds, Ken Andi Habib is a masterful blend of Arabic music, jazz, Carribean/Latin influences, Cape Verde grooves and funk. Featuring original artwork and audio remastered by Colorsound Studio.

Pharoah Chromium – the project of German-Palestinian musician Ghazi Barakat – has never shied from confronting the Palestinian cause head-on. Following 2015’s Gaza and 2018’s Jean Genet à Chatila, his latest work, Chronicles from the Arab Cold War (out 27th February on Discrepant), stands as his most urgent statement yet: a record that shuns detachment and insists on listening as an act of witness.

If you were to ask us for a defining Habibi Funk track, there are a few that come to mind: from Fadoul’s “Sid Redad,“ Dalton’s “Soul Brother“ to Ahmed Malek’s “Omar Gatlato.“ However, none are as widely connected with us at this point as Hamid Al Shaeri’s “Ayonha.“ We heard the track for the first time when we were working on selecting tracks for your first compilation and we instantly loved it. We obviously had heard of Hamid El Shaeri’s music before, but only material from his Al Jeel phase when he was already the full-blown superstar he is now. Listening to his releases from the early 1980’s opened a whole new door for us. At the time, Hamid had just left Libya to pursue his career in Egypt via a detour in London, where he recorded his first album.

The album features music from a piece composed by Javid Afsari Rad for the Norwegian World Orchestra, commissioned by Ultima Festival in 2021.

Siwane is the synthesis between the talented vocalist Mounia Siwane and some of the most exceptional jazz musicians from Lyon, France. The project is a passionate voyage through time. The compositions, written by guitarist Stani Jardel, are influenced by popular melodies from the Al-Andalus era, the historical, Muslim-ruled area that comprised most of the Iberian peninsula between between 711 and 1492. This is very special music, which mixes the antiquity of the original melodic material with modern, jazz-based language.

Our upcoming 33rd release focuses on one of the most distinctive voices to emerge from Beirut’s Armenian community: Ara Kekedjian. We started being interested in Armenian music from Beirut many years ago, after seeing the records pop up in shops and markets, and DJs like Ernesto Chahoud playing them at parties. From the get go Ara Kekedjian was our favorite. From his infectious arrangements, his catchy melody lines to his dapper looks: Born in 1946 in Bourj Hammoud, Lebanon, Ara became a central figure in the Armenian pop scene of the 1960s and 70s. With his mix of Armenian rhythms, hard-hitting drums, funky guitars, and charismatic stage presence, he carved out a bold sound in Estradayin (Armenian) pop rock.

This compilation of songs is not meant as a historic reflection of popular music of the “Arab world.” It is a very personal selection of songs we grew to like at Habibi Funk. It is music that historically never existed as a unified musical genre. We think it’s important to make this distinction and to have the listener understand that the majority of the music on this compilation does not come from the highly famous names of the musical spectrum of North Africa and the Middle East.

Through an arched gateway into the medina, inside a labyrinth of alleyways lined with shops selling spices and perfumed oils, rare vinyl and handmade instruments, comes the sound of the blues. Ancient and current, funky and rhythmic, buoyed by Arabic lyrics, soaring vocals and bass-heavy grooves, it seems to pulse from the heart of the Maghreb.