habibi funk 035: beirut city pop
Francisco Espregueira
Archival label Habibi Funk Records is opening another window into Lebanon's musical vault. Their new compilation, Habibi Funk 035: Beirut City Pop, collects ten elusive recordings from Beirut's cassette scene in the late 1970s and 1980s. Featuring Various Artists like Andromeda, Force, Games, and Stephanie Stephanou, the project highlights a close-knit community orbiting Ziad Rahbani’s Bypass Studio and Studio Farah. Due to the civil war splitting the city into isolated pockets, many of these tracks were never widely distributed. Instead, they circulated on hand-copied tapes, sometimes in runs of twenty or fewer, passed between friends and fellow players.
Despite the difficult backdrop, the music on Beirut City Pop radiates a light, buoyant energy akin to Japanese city pop. The tracklist glides through disco, bossa nova, synth-pop, and AOR with effortless ease. Offerings such as Stephanou’s "You Turn Me On" and Andromeda’s "Bossa Blue" capture musicians leaning into warmth, groove, and escapism. These recovered tapes offer a rare glimpse of creative freedom and camaraderie that outlasted the turmoil around them. Ultimately, Beirut City Pop stands as a soulful tribute to an enduring musical community. Available on vinyl.