Choubi Choubi!: Folk & Pop Sounds From Iraq

Various Artists
Sublime Frequencies
World | Oct 2005

Reviews

Don Farrell
Reviewed 2005-11-21
Iraqi pop, folk & Socialist folk rock. Selected from LPs & cassettes found in Syria, Europe & Iraqi neighborhoods of Detroit Michigan during the Saddam Era 1980s-2002. The main focus here is on the titular "choubi" style of music, described as "a festive, driving rhythmic style that can feature fiddles, double reed instruments, bass, keyboards, and oud over its signature beat." Great sounds and fast percussion. Note: a few seconds of dead air at the end of some tracks.
*1: 3:03 cool sound, (keyboard & guitar) driving rhythm, male vocal,
2: 0:37 short instrumental
***3: 3: 07 staccato percussion, (electronic video game ) sounds like machine gun fire. (electronic video game sound made by a hand drum called a khishba or zanbour, Arabic for wasp)
*4: 3:53 fast soaring violins, percussion, fem vocals/wails
**5: 3: 41 cool fast sounds, fem vocal/wail, pounding perc. a khishba,
6: 5: 48 male vocal/wail, perc & strings. mid tempo,cool Mid East sound a few seconds of dead air at end.
7: 2:52 fem vocal, fast, fast perc. & strings
8: 4: 51 mid to fast, a khishba and a double reed instrument? male vocal/wail 9: 3:44 fast oud?? Fast male chorus and vocal
***10: 5:13 a khishba, mid to fast, Great fem vocal/wail cool Mid East sound by a violin
***11: 3:04 fem vocal/wail, percussion, cool Mid East sound by a violin
**12: 4:10 cool Mid East sound by a violin, mid to fast. Male voc/wail
13: 3:03 fast fast perc and strings, double reed instrument??? Male vocal
**14: 6:03 mid to fast, cool Mid East sound by a violin, male voc/wail with fem chorus. a khishba minimal perc ( but good)
15: 2:26 mid tempo, cool Mid East sound by a keyboard?? male voc/wail
*16: 2:40 mid tempo fem vocal, nice voice, faster percussion D Farrell 11/2005

Recent airplay

Title Unknown, Mawal / Choubi
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Oh Mother, The Handsome Man Tortures Me
Wednesday Night LiveApr 05, 2006
Oh Mother, The Handsome Man Tortures Me
asymptotic freedomJan 09, 2006
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Global WarmingDec 27, 2005
They Taught Me
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Charting

2005-11-20 — 2006-01-22 Reggae/World
Week EndingAirplays
Jan 15 1
Jan 1 1
Dec 25 1
Dec 18 2
Dec 11 2
Dec 4 2
Nov 27 3

Track listing

1. They Taught Me
2. Segue Bezikh
3. Oh Mother, The Handsome Man Tortures Me
4. Yumma, Al Hilou
5. Ahl Al Aqi
6. Hecha
7. Choubi Choubi
8. Ya Binaya Goumi
9. Front My Hope
10. Ala Honak
11. Mawal / Choubi
12. Title Unknown
13. Ashhad Biannak Hilou
14. Walla
15. Palestinian
16. Title Unknown