Sam Shalabi: On Hashish / Osama / Eid [2001 - 2003 - 2008]

Sam Shalabi

Sam Shalabi is a central node in Montreal’s free improv scene. One cannot count the many projects he is a part of. He is best known as a founding member of Shalabi Effect, who have recorded three albums on Alien8 Recordings which have earned the band extremely good response from critics and music enthusiasts alike. Apart from Shalabi Effect, he is also part of a number of bands, among which Detention, Molasses, Po, ‘Gypt Gore, and a trio with David Kristian and Alexandre St-Onge. He is also known for three solo albums: “Luteness” (Squint Fucker Press, deleted), “On Hashish” (Alien8 Recordings), and of course “Osama”, his investigation of arabophobia in a ‘post-9-11 world’. His style ranges from freeform psychedelic rock to the most oddball abstract performance. Although mostly known as a guitarist, the highly versatile Shalabi also performs on oud and a variety of other instruments.

EID CD

Sam Shalabi’s third solo outing for Alien8, Eid, was written and conceived in Cairo, Egypt in 2006 while Shalabi was living there and further realized in Montreal and Vancouver during the first half of 2007. The album is a result of two separate ideas that slowly coalesced over a couple of years. The first was Shalabi’s idea of composing songs for singers he knew and enjoyed. The second idea was that of creating a ‘modern Arabic pop’ record.

It was during the time that Shalabi was living in Cairo he came to the realization that Arabic pop music was much more wild, wide and weird than he had imagined and this also had a huge influence on this recording. Over time Shalabi became less interested in trying to make pop songs and more interested in allowing the material to take it’s own shape.

Upon listening to Eid it becomes clear how Shalabi was influenced by the wide breadth of Arabic pop music: each piece is stylistically its own and allowed to take its own shape. The recording opens with a beautifully played piece of Shalabi’s solo oud playing, that gives one the impression they are in store for a gentle acoustic journey. Gears shift drastically with the follow up track, Jessica Simpson, which can also be considered one of the recordings most interesting and unusual selections. Guest vocalist Radwon Moumneh does an excellent job delivering his vocals over repetitious percussion; then a totally unexpected guitar hero style solo slips in out of nowhere. Sam Shalabi enlists the help of far too many guests to list here, although along the standout contributions is that of singer/songwriter Lhasa de Sela who has a thriving solo career and has collaborated with the likes of the Tindersticks and Nick Cave. Constellation Records recording artist Elizabeth Anka Vajajick sings on Billy the Kid and Katie Moore is absolutely stunning on Billy the Kid pt II.

This will mark our ninth release with Shalabi, not including his efforts in various projects as a guest or studio musician.

Release date: January 22, 2008

Label: Alien8 Recordings

Eid [2008]

Osama [2003]

On Hashish [2001]

dora bleu w/ sam shalabi & brooke crouser, brussels 2008

Shalabi Effect

If only they were detonating atmospheric walls that between cross his sound by means of two opposite poles protected by the history of the humanity, it is when the fingerprint of the time leaves brands where to advance and to continue, the tonality of the wood that with work appears with beauty emerges, if only you were finding the way of moving away to listen, the echo that supports the natural secrets of the universe returns to be authentic and democratic, is the shade in the roof, it is the flight again, but she undresses the woman at a height of the stellar hills captivates the sense as these auditory instants to remember, gives drafts for your home(fireplace) subjective construction and jumps in the pasture or mud for mutant your feet in wind, wind that escapes without address trying to be God, to have the value and the force of giving it what him belongs, absolutely everything what exists inside the small room of the life, now your she writes, now I am an entity that supports experiments, Shalabi sounds, for routes of the didactic light.

Si tan solo se detonaran paredes atmosféricas que entre cruzan su sonido por medio de dos polos opuestos resguardados por la historia de la humanidad, es cuando la huella del tiempo deja marcas por donde avanzar y seguir, la tonalidad de la madera que con trabajo se muestra con belleza emerge, si tan solo usted encontrara la manera de alejarse para escuchar, el eco que mantiene los secretos naturales del universo vuelve a ser autentico y democrático, es la sombra en el techo, es el vuelo otra vez, pero desnuda la mujer a la altura de los cerros estelares cautiva el sentido al igual que estos instantes auditivos para recordar, da giros por tu hogar construcción subjetiva y salta en el pasto o barro para trasformar tus pies en viento, viento que se escapa sin dirección pretendiendo ser Dios, para tener el valor y la fuerza de darle a ella lo que le pertenece, absolutamente todo lo que existe dentro de la pequeña habitación de la vida, ahora tu escribe, ahora soy un ente que mantiene experimentos, suena Shalabi, por vías de la luz didáctica.

Originally slated for release as the flip side of a split cd/lp with godspeed you black emperor! entitled Aural Florida, this release just kept growing and growing. Now finally finished and ready to go, the Shalabi Effect present their debut with a staggering 131 minute psychedelic blow out!

On this debut double CD somewhere in the vicinity of forty instruments have made their way onto the recordings. It is very difficult to describe Shalabi Effect, because the sound is varied and changing so frequently, but we can definitely trace influences of AMM, Organum, and Pink Floyd, and psychedelic music. In terms of Psych, we are talking about the brand perfected by the likes of Acid Mothers Temple, No Neck Blues Band and Ghost, as well as more pioneering projects such as Amon Duul, Popul Vuh and the Taj Mahal Travellers.

Anthony Seck, Sam Shalabi, Alexandre St-Onge and Will Eizlini are joined by various guests, including members of Godspeed You Black Emperor! and Strawberry, filling in on violin, vocals, Tibetan bowls and sax. Together they blend middle eastern influenced folk with spacey electronics and really beautiful trippy guitars. The overall experience is incredible; sounds and styles change drastically and seamlessly, bringing you to a new place with each new movement. Shalabi Effect went all out, spending nearly a month in the studio recordings and mastering on 1/2 tape to capture the warmth of the music. We thought they were kidding when they said they were setting out to create the ultimate drug record. Now we know that they were serious. The first of the two discs opens up with a beautiful display of early electronic drones, Muslimgauze styled tablas, Oud, guitar, scraped metal and bowed instruments. The sound is so incredibly rich and organic, you could swear this was recorded somewhere beautiful outdoors.

Aside from the Shalabi Effect, Sam Shalabi either anchors or at least plays in the following projects: a trio with David Kristian and Alexandre St-Onge, and more… Shalabi’s free jazz duo Detention performed at this years Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville and he immediately returned to Montreal the following day to perform with Kevin Drumm and Pillow, as member of Molasses. Anthony is the other driving force in the project and is a film maker and video producer.

Shalabi Effect are one of the most important projects in the Montreal underground for the sole reason that it is Sam Shalabi’s main project. During the last few years Alien8 Recordings have been setting up challenging evenings of live music at a loft space run by GYBE!, the Hotel 2 Tango, as well as at other spaces. During that time only David Kristian comes close to having played in as many live scenarios as Sam Shalabi. We have had Shalabi Effect perform with the likes of Aube, Kevin Drumm, Pillow, Fly Pan Am, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Government Alpha, David Kristian, Sabir Mateen, Loren Mazzacane Connors, M.S.B.R., No Neck Blues Band, Pillow, Royal Trux and Martin Tétreault. Occasionally Shalabi will even book his own shows, including gigs with Tim Berne and Brandon Labelle. We are very happy to finally be able to share the music of the Shalabi Effect with people outside of the Montreal underground.

www.alien8recordings.com

Unfortunately [2005]

Pink Abyss [2004]

The Trial of St-Orange [2002]

Shalabi Effect [2000] (part1/part2)

Shalabi Effect - On the Bowery