Habibi Funk Germany Vinilo y CD

Review: Arabic music crate-diggers Habibi Funk have so far proved adept at unearthing killer material from the 1970s and '80s that joins the dots between indigenous styles and familiar Western genres. Their latest collection focuses on the work of 1970s Egyptian band Al Massireen, an outfit funded by one of the country's most successful producers of the period, Hany Shenoda. Modern Music, so called because the band was Shenoda's attempt to modernize Arabic music, includes tracks taken from a wealth of forgotten cassettes and albums. Musically, it's rather special; a heady blend of Arabic vocals and instrumentation, orchestral disco influences, blue-eyed soul, grown-up pop and dreamy West Coast style rock.

Review: Late 70s funk fusion from Tunisia: capturing the moment leading Tunis bands Dalton and Marhaba Band joined forces for some legendary disco fusion. "Alech" ignites with a Doobie Brothers style shiny guitar, big slap bass and soaring synth work while "Hanen" is a little more introspective and soulful with its honeyed harmonies and cascading chord sequence. Complete with instrumentals.

Review: Boom! Ultra rare outernational funk reissue action by the new Habibi Funk imprint! Dalton were a late '60s soul band formed in Tunis by a group of American music enthusiasts, and their one and only LP under the Dalton name was independently released and super rare until now. "Alech" nears psychedelic territories thanks to its echoing vocals and trippy percussion, whereas "Soul Brother" is more of a classic soul ballad, but filled with the band's own native roots, of course. Be sure to check, this is hot and recommended for the diggers.

Review: While visiting Morocco in 2012, Habibi Funk founder Jannis Sturtz wandered into a dusty electronics store in Casablanca. While there, he discovered a stash of previously unknown Moroccan funk records from the 1970s and early '80s. The one that really pricked his interest came from a singer called Fadoul. Four years and countless trips to Morocco later, he's finally ready to tell the story of a man who made "Arabic funk with a punk attitude". Al Zman Saib, the first collection of this forgotten funk hero's little-known career, is full of fuzzy, attitude-laden, lo-fi funk gems. As well as original material inspired by his American heroes, the compilation also contains his Arabic language covers of tracks by James Brown and Free. Like the rest of the material, both are deliciously loose, heavy and enthusiastically performed.

Review: Habibi Funk present a legendary Lebanese work from Issam Hajali's group Ferkat Al Ard. This groundbreaking release from 1978 is a truly international affair, as Arab, jazz, folk and Brazilian styles criss-cross with flair under the arrangement guidance of Ziad Rahbani. The sound moves between pop and psych to touches of bossa nova and tropicalia. For diggers who have been after this record for some time, it's worth noting the band insisted on two tracks being excluded which were on the original version, but they have been replaced by the equally stunning 'Juma;a 6 Hziran'. This is a gem of Lebanese musical history, and a quintessential release in the ever-essential research undertaken by Habibi Funk.

Review: Najib Alhoush was the front man of the group The Free Music and led them to make a frankly eye-watering 10 albums that were all of high quality. each one mixed up soul, funk, disco and reggae with synth work that was downright groovy. Add in driving bass and you have one of Libya's most important acts even though they never made a name outside of their own country owing to the complex political situation at the time. This new compassion Habbi Funk aims to change that by shining a light on some of their best tunes. It's only the first volume in what will surely be a well-received series.

Review: Maha was the vocalist with Salah Ragab's Cairo jazz band and in 1979 she recorded this somehow completely unknown album. It is a real world music gem that previously only came on cassette, and features production from Hany Shenoda of Al Massrieen. It mixes up plenty of Egyptian musical traditions with jazz, funk, soul and Latin influences. There's a string-laced serenity to 'Kabl Ma Nessallem We Nemshy' and 'Ala Shat El Nesyan' which stand out as particular highlights. Maha left music behind in the mid-1980s for a different life, which in this evidence suggests the jazz scene lost a great one.

Review: Habibi Funk co-founder Jannis Stuertz first came across "the Holy Grail of Sudanese funk", Saif Abu Bakr and The Scorpions "Jazz, Jazz, Jazz", while browsing eBay listings a few years back. His interest piqued, he took a trip to Sudan to track down the musicians who had made a ridiculously rare LP that was changing hands for thousands of pounds online. Some four years later, his wish to reissue the set has finally come through. It was originally recorded in Kuwait in 1980 and brilliantly joins the dots between American funk, soul and rhythm and blues, traditional Sudanese vocals and rhythmic arrangements, and even a dash of Congolese soukkous. It's the first full album Habibi Funk has reissued, and with good reason: it's near perfect from start to finish.

Review: Habibi Funk has subtitled this tasty label compilation "an eclectic selection of music from the Arab world". It's an apt description, because the double vinyl set is little less than a whistle-stop tour of killer cuts from North Africa and the Middle East. Amongst the dirty and driving Morccoan funk (see Fadoul's righteously heavy opener), Arabic rock and roll (the Beatles-in-Timbukto flex of Jalil Bellis), Lebanese disco, Sudanese throw-downs and Algerian floor-burners, you'll find a quintet of previously unreleased tracks discovered during the label's extensive vault-digging explorations around the Arabic world. We can think of few finer introductions to vintage Arabic dance music, to be honest, and would heartily recommend it.