Habibi Funk Records is a reissue record label based in Berlin, Germany dedicated to music from the Arab world.[1] It was co-founded by Jannis Stürtz, who also works as a DJ using the name Habibi Funk.[1][2] The label is mostly known for its albums and accompanying booklets of Arabic funk and soul bands from the 1960-80s.
| Habibi Funk Records | |
|---|---|
| Founder | Jannis Stürtz (co-founder) |
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Location | Berlin |
| Official website | habibifunkrecords |
History
editJannis Stürtz first became interested in the music of the region while visiting Casablanca, Morocco in 2002.[1] Habibi Funk's first release was al-Zman Saib (الزمان صعيب), a 1970s reinterpretation of British rock group Free's song "All Right Now" by a Moroccan group called Fadaul et les Privileges (فضول).[1]
Habibi Funk has re-released an expansive collection of Arabic funk and soul bands from the 1960-80s, including compilations. Apart from these, there are albums featuring a specific band, like Sudanese funk musician Kamal Keila,[3] the "King of Sudanese Jazz", Sharhabil Ahmed[4] or The Scorpions and Saif Abu Bakr,[5][6] as well as North African musicians such as Al Massrieen, Ahmed Malek, Raze de Soare,[7] Mallek Mohamed, and Hamid El Shaeri.[8]
Editor's attitude towards post-colonialism in the music business
editJannis Stürtz claims to have awareness of the political aspects of the label's work, addressing "the context of post-colonialism" and avoiding orientalist "stereotypical visual language."[1][9] He also added that Habibi Funk Records licenses the music it reissues directly from the artists or their families, who get a 50% cut of the profits.[1]
In an interview with The Vinyl Factory, Stürtz commented: "If you’re a European or Western label and you’re dealing with non-European artists’ music, there’s obviously a special responsibility to make sure you don’t reproduce historic economic patterns of exploitation, which is the number one thing when it comes to the post-colonial aspect of what we are doing."[2]
Discography
editAdapted from the label's website.[10] Music recorded at an earlier date but previously unreleased is denoted with "archival".
| Cat. No. | Artist | Title | Type | Country | Original Release Year | Reissue Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Dalton | "Alech" | Reissue single |  Tunisia
|
1971/2 | 2015 |
| 002 | Fadoul | Al Zman Saib | Compilation album |  Morocco
|
— | 2015 |
| 003 | Ahmed Malek | Musique Originale De Films | Reissue album |  Algeria
|
1978 | 2016 |
| 004 | Carthago | "Alech" | Reissue single | Tunisia
|
1979 | 2016 |
| 005 | Ahmed Malek & Flako | The Electronic Tapes | Album | Algeria /  Germany
|
— | 2017 |
| 006 | Al Massrieen | Modern Music | Compilation album |  Egypt
|
— | 2017 |
| 007 | — | An Eclectic Selection of Music from the Arab World | Various artists compilation album | — | — | 2017 |
| 008 | Kamal Keila | Muslims and Christians | Archival album |  Sudan
|
— | 2018 |
| 009 | The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr | Jazz, Jazz, Jazz | Reissue album | Sudan
|
1980 | 2018 |
| 010 | Issam Hajali | Mouasalat Ila Jacad El Ard | Reissue album |  Lebanon
|
1978 | 2018 |
| 011 | Attarazat Addahabia & Faradjallah | Al Hadaoui | Archival album | Morocco
|
— | 2019 |
| 012 | Ahmed Ben Ali | "Subhana" | Archival single |  Libya
|
— | 2020 |
| 013 | Sharhabil Ahmed | The King Of Sudanese Jazz | Compilation album | Sudan
|
— | 2020 |
| 014 | — | Solidarity With Beirut | Various artists compilation album | — | — | 2020 |
| 015 | — | An Eclectic Selection of Music from the Arab World, Part 2 | Various artists compilation album | — | — | 2021 |
| 016 | Rogér Fakhr | Fine Anyway | Reissue album | Lebanon
|
1977 | 2021 |
| 017 | Majid Soula | Chant Amazigh | Compilation album | Algeria
|
— | 2021 |
| 018 | Hamid El Shaeri | The SLAM! Years (1983 - 1988) | Compilation album | Egypt
|
— | 2022 |
| 019 | Ferkat Al Ard | Oghneya | Reissue album | Lebanon
|
1978 | 2022 |
| 020 | Maha | Orkos | Reissue album | Egypt
|
1979 | 2022 |
| 021 | The Free Music | Free Music (Part 1) | Compilation album | Libya
|
— | 2023 |
| 022 | Ahmed Ben Ali | Subhana | Archival album | Libya
|
— | 2023 |
| 023 | Charif Megarbane | Marzipan | Album | Lebanon
|
— | 2023 |
| 024 | Ibrahim Hesnawi | The Father of Libyan Reggae | Compilation album | Libya
|
— | 2023 |
| 025 | Rogér Fakhr | East of Any Place | Archival album | Lebanon
|
— | 2023 |
| 026 | — | Solidarity with Libya | Various artists compilation album | — | — | 2023 |
| 027 | Ahmed Malek | Musique Originale De Films (Volume 2) | Reissue album | Algeria
|
1978 | 2024 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f "The label dedicated to reissuing stereotype-busting Arab music". The Independent. 2018-03-01. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- ^ a b Nazif, Perwana (2017-10-11). "Habibi Funk: Tales from digging in North Africa". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- ^ "Musique : le label Habibi Funk présente Kamal Keila, le "James Brown soudanais"". Franceinfo (in French). 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ Honigmann, David (2020-07-17). "Sharhabil Ahmed: The King of Sudanese Jazz — urgent and explosive". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
- ^ Moore, Marcus J. (2019-09-17). "The Making of Moroccan Funk". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ Music, Pan African (2018-09-12). "Habibi Funk to reissue legendary The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr album". Pan African Music. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ "Habibi disco from around the world à La Folie Paris". www.sortiraparis.com (in French). Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ "Various Artists: Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection of Music From the Arab World". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ "The Record Label Unearthing the Arab World's Rarest Records". Mille World. 2018-08-03. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
- ^ "Habibi Funk Records". Habibi Funk Records. Retrieved 2024-07-29.