hamid el shaeri: the slam! years (1983-1988)
Francisco Espregueira
The fantastic Habibi Funk has been, for the past five years, recovering lost records from the rich musical world of the Middle East and North Africa. Over their existence, they have reissued several priceless records — not only because of their musical quality, but because they are rare cultural registers from countries so often concerned with other matters. One of the songs that marked the discography of Habibi Funk is “Ayonha”, by Hamid El Shaeri, included in the first compilation of the label. This discovery set the label to explore in more detail the music that preceded El Shaeri's stardom, when he had just arrived in Egypt coming from Libya. The result of this study is reflected in a new edition that addresses some of the main works by Hamid El Shaeri. The SLAM! Years (1983 – 1988) is an essential record for getting to know one of the biggest stars of Arab music.
The distinctive sound of this phase of Hamid El Shaeri's career was essentially reliant on great synthesizers— often hard to come by. When one of these instruments entered the market, it was important to buy it immediately given the competition that existed. And it is here that London gains importance in El Shaeri's career. Beyond the inspiration of seeing Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson, among others; the british capital became a window to the avant-garde of musical instruments, which in turn helped him to become an absolutely innovative artist in his cultural context. In 1983, based in Cairo, he signs a contract with the local imprint SLAM! to release his first album. Its success laid the groundwork for a five-record collaboration, lasting until 1988.
Almost 40 years later, the rights to these works are still held by SLAM!, and Habibi Funk needed a special authorization to republish them. In fact, this practice is common in the German label, ensuring that part of the profits always revert to the cultural scene of origin. The SLAM! Years (1983 – 1988) brings us the best songs by Hamid El Shaeri on SLAM! and an odor of the city of Cairo in the '80s. A mix of traditions with pop rhythms from New York, London or Berlin. Available on vinyl since last friday, Habibi Funk brings us another unmissable reissue.