AL JAMILAT (the beautiful ones)
YASMINE HAMDAN's NEW ALBUM!
OUT MARCH 17TH ON CD/LP/DIGITAL
PRE-ORDER HERE
Undergound icon Yasmine Hamdan pursues her musical exploration on her new album Al Jamilat ('The Beautiful Ones'). While Yasmine's vocals are connected to traditions of Arabic music, the structures and arrangements of the songs are far removed from its codes, taking in elements of contemporary Western electronic, pop and folk music.
Al Jamilat, the follow-up to 2013's Ya Nass, was produced by Yasmine, who started out by recording with Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth) and Shahzad Ismaily (Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed) at Steve's New York studio. Yasmine then went on to add the finishing touches in London alongside Luke Smith (Foals, Depeche Mode, Lily Allen) and Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, Carl Barât) who co-produced and mixed the tracks. Using a selection of Middle Eastern and Asian instruments, harmonium, classical, live drums and vintage/sample loops, the album blends Gulf/Iraqi grooves, Tuareg-like guitars, peculiar buzuk sounds, along with modern pop synths and rhythmic beats to create something sonically unique with shades of Indian, Asian and desert melodies.
Yasmine Hamdan has lived in half a dozen countries and immersed herself in as many cultures. The making of Al Jamilat was very much a voyage, during which Hamdan collected and merged sounds and ideas. Her interactions with the cross-section of society she encountered on her travels nurtured her reflections and enriched the sociopolitical awareness which always runs through her lyrics.
The album takes its name from a Mahmoud Darwish poem which Yasmine Hamdan has adapted for a song on the record. Darwish’s poem is an ode to womanhood, celebrating beauty in multiplicity and contradictions and encapsulates the overall spirit of the album.
The first music video from the album, La Ba'den, was shot by award-winning filmmaker Elia Suleiman.
To celebrate the release of her album, Yasmine Hamdan will be touring around the globe.
March-May dates
23/03/2017 [US] Brooklyn, NY, Little Field
25/03/2017 [US] Knoxville, TN, Big Ears Festival
15/04/2017 [HU] Budapest, A38 Spring Festival
17/04/2017 [UA] Kiev, Sentrum Club
27/04/2017 [FR] Paris, Flow
04/05/2017 [DE] Berlin, Columbia Theater
05/05/2017 [DE] Hamburg, Mojo Club
07/05/2017 [DE] Leipzig, Werk 2
09/05/2017 [DE] Cologne, Gloria Theater
10/05/2017 [DE] Frankfurt, Batschkapp
11/05/2017 [DE] Munich, Freiheiz
13/05/2017 [BE] Brussels, Les Nuits Botanique
15/05/2017 [GB] London, Scala
17/05/2017 [MA] Fes Festival, Salle de la Prefecture