Subhana

"Global album of the month" - "Euphoric reggae from charismatic singer: Ali's self-produced album features his trademark bright, melodic sound, blending Libyan folk, reggae, zokra and synths with striking results".

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"Reggae is undoubtedly a mighty force across North Africa. But its relationship with Libyan traditional and folkloric music is particularly close. Zimzamet, with its rhythmic repetition of lyrics, and the steady marching tempo of wedding chants are two of the local elements which specifically fire up the Libyan school of reggae. The influence of North African and Middle Eastern music (...) is also blazingly loud and clear. Ahmed's reggae is produced with many fine details, inspired by Jamaican dub and drumming stylings along with distant strains of Egyptian-style string ensembles. There are no filler tracks, but the triumphant roots-rockin' final track, 'Aziz O Adda', and the Arabic dub of 'Ana Middaee' or 'La Ta'tather' are among the standouts".

"Ben Ali's music is a synthesis of reggae and Libyan folk music (known as Zimzamet) with elements of Middle Eastern music, self-produced at home. The result is a fresh take on the reggae that dominated Libyan music in the 70s, with processed synths and Ben Ali's charismatic and confident vocals to the fore. "Ya Ghalian Alakheera"'s synthesised bagpipe sounds and call and response vocals are typical of the anything goes approach, creating a joyful alternative sound of the summer".