Downtempo Meets Shamstep in ‘Moniety’ by Berlin-Based Trio NAKRIZ

Berlin-based Syrian trio, NAKRIZ, have made a name for themselves for doing something that very few manage: they fuse east with west, the traditions of Levantine music with the contemporary sounds that surround them in Berlin. Not only that, but they do so without ever losing the soul, style and flavour of their native lands.

The classically-trained band’s latest release - on Souq Records - is a perfect example of that. ‘Moniety’ finds a middle ground between downtempo and Shamstep, while a deep Arab folk sound is never too far away thanks to a heavy sprinkling of the distinctive sounds of the Mijiwiz. Based on a folk song of the same name from Al Raqqa, a city in the east of Syria, the track - quite refreshingly - keeps these deeply traditional sounds intact.
While it’s wholly unfair to compare bands in most if not any context, one can’t help but look at the Shamstep of the likes of 47Soul and the intangible stylings of Omar Suleiman as a comparison. But NAKRIZ have formed their own interpretation, with the track stripping down the usual clamour and commotion of dabke and the folk music of the Levantine region, reforming it into rich and at times hypnotic composition that uses electronic elements sparsely and to great effect, most notably with the flashes of droning bass.

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