NEW COLLABORATIVE ALBUM JARAK QARIBAK
OUT NOW VIA WORLD CIRCUIT
screen shot
June 12, 2023—In celebration of the release of their new album Jarak Qaribak, Dudu Tassa and Jonny Greenwood are sharing a new video for “Ahibak,” an Israeli song featuring guest vocals from U.A.E. singer Safae Essafi. Directed by Ilan Azoulay and shot in Morocco, the video features an appearance from Tassa and tells the story of love and the struggle between tradition and progress across three family generations.
Produced by Tassa & Greenwood and mixed by Nigel Godrich, Jarak Qaribak translates, more or less, as “Your Neighbour Is Your Friend.” It’s an expansive, inclusive sentiment. The songs on the album, and the singers, are drawn from all over the Middle East; and, in keeping with the theme established by the album’s title, each singer takes a turn at a tune from a country other than their own. So “Djit Nishrab,” a sultry, slow-building lament to love gone wrong by 1940s Algerian singer Ahmed Wahby, is performed by the 2020s Egyptian singer Ahmed Doma. “Taq ou-Dub,” a defiant kiss-off, is performed by the Palestinian singer Nour Freteikh. When Dudu takes a lead vocal himself, it’s on “Lhla Yzid Ikhtar,” borrowed from Morocco. When a Moroccan—in this instance Mohssine Salaheddine—steps up, it’s on the Egyptian track “Leylet Hub.” The Jordanian traditional “Ya ‘Anid Ya Yaba” is sung by a Syrian. And when the song is Israeli—as “Ahibak” is—it’s sung by Safae Essafi from Dubai.
“An enduring and engaging take on the love songs of the region. ****”
—The Guardian
“Sultry, mellifluous songs… harmonious stuff, in every sense. ****”—MOJO
“That Jarak Qaribak manages to combine that respect—for the songs, the singers, and their various cultures—with a free-flowing, light sense of exploration that feels joyfully current, is its triumph. 8/10”—Uncut
“Behind the traditionalist vocal and Middle Eastern flute and violin are plenty of Radiohead touches: bass lines, spooky piano tones and drum machine all tugging separately against the beat, heightening the tension.”—The New York Times
September 14—Tel Aviv, IL—Hangar 11
November 2—Berlin, DE—Pitchfork Music Festival
November 4—Paris, FR—La Seine Musicale
November 7—Ghent, BE—De Vooruit
November 9—Utrecht, NL—Le Guess Who Festival
November 10—London, UK—Pitchfork Music Festival (Hackney Church)
