Habibi Funk Records is a reissue record label based in Berlin, Germany dedicated to music from the Arab world.[1] It was co-founded by Jannis Stürtz, who also works as a DJ using the name Habibi Funk.[1][2] The label is mostly known for its albums and accompanying booklets of Arabic funk and soul bands from the 1960-80s.

Habibi Funk Records
FounderJannis Stürtz (co-founder)
Country of originGermany
LocationBerlin
Official websitehabibifunkrecords.bandcamp.com

History

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Jannis Stürtz first became interested in the music of the region while visiting Casablanca, Morocco in 2002.[1] Habibi Funk's first release was al-Zman Saib (الزمان صعيب), a 1970s reinterpretation of British rock group Free's song "All Right Now" by a Moroccan group called Fadaul et les Privileges (فضول).[1]

Habibi Funk has re-released an expansive collection of Arabic funk and soul bands from the 1960-80s, including compilations. Apart from these, there are albums featuring a specific band, like Sudanese funk musician Kamal Keila,[3] the "King of Sudanese Jazz", Sharhabil Ahmed[4] or The Scorpions and Saif Abu Bakr,[5][6] as well as North African musicians such as Al Massrieen, Ahmed Malek, Raze de Soare,[7] Mallek Mohamed, and Hamid El Shaeri.[8]

Editor's attitude towards post-colonialism in the music business

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Jannis Stürtz claims to have awareness of the political aspects of the label's work, addressing "the context of post-colonialism" and avoiding orientalist "stereotypical visual language."[1][9] He also added that Habibi Funk Records licenses the music it reissues directly from the artists or their families, who get a 50% cut of the profits.[1]

In an interview with The Vinyl Factory, Stürtz commented: "If you’re a European or Western label and you’re dealing with non-European artists’ music, there’s obviously a special responsibility to make sure you don’t reproduce historic economic patterns of exploitation, which is the number one thing when it comes to the post-colonial aspect of what we are doing."[2]

Discography

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Adapted from the label's website.[10] Music recorded at an earlier date but previously unreleased is denoted with "archival".

Cat. No. Artist Title Type Country Original Release Year Reissue Year
001 Dalton "Alech" Reissue single   Tunisia 1971/2 2015
002 Fadoul Al Zman Saib Compilation album   Morocco 2015
003 Ahmed Malek Musique Originale De Films Reissue album   Algeria 1978 2016
004 Carthago "Alech" Reissue single   Tunisia 1979 2016
005 Ahmed Malek & Flako The Electronic Tapes Album   Algeria /   Germany 2017
006 Al Massrieen Modern Music Compilation album   Egypt 2017
007 An Eclectic Selection of Music from the Arab World Various artists compilation album 2017
008 Kamal Keila Muslims and Christians Archival album   Sudan 2018
009 The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr Jazz, Jazz, Jazz Reissue album   Sudan 1980 2018
010 Issam Hajali Mouasalat Ila Jacad El Ard Reissue album   Lebanon 1978 2018
011 Attarazat Addahabia & Faradjallah Al Hadaoui Archival album   Morocco 2019
012 Ahmed Ben Ali "Subhana" Archival single   Libya 2020
013 Sharhabil Ahmed The King Of Sudanese Jazz Compilation album   Sudan 2020
014 Solidarity With Beirut Various artists compilation album 2020
015 An Eclectic Selection of Music from the Arab World, Part 2 Various artists compilation album 2021
016 Rogér Fakhr Fine Anyway Reissue album   Lebanon 1977 2021
017 Majid Soula Chant Amazigh Compilation album   Algeria 2021
018 Hamid El Shaeri The SLAM! Years (1983 - 1988) Compilation album   Egypt 2022
019 Ferkat Al Ard Oghneya Reissue album   Lebanon 1978 2022
020 Maha Orkos Reissue album   Egypt 1979 2022
021 The Free Music Free Music (Part 1) Compilation album   Libya 2023
022 Ahmed Ben Ali Subhana Archival album   Libya 2023
023 Charif Megarbane Marzipan Album   Lebanon 2023
024 Ibrahim Hesnawi The Father of Libyan Reggae Compilation album   Libya 2023
025 Rogér Fakhr East of Any Place Archival album   Lebanon 2023
026 Solidarity with Libya Various artists compilation album 2023
027 Ahmed Malek Musique Originale De Films (Volume 2) Reissue album   Algeria 1978 2024

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "The label dedicated to reissuing stereotype-busting Arab music". The Independent. 2018-03-01. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  2. ^ a b Nazif, Perwana (2017-10-11). "Habibi Funk: Tales from digging in North Africa". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  3. ^ "Musique : le label Habibi Funk présente Kamal Keila, le "James Brown soudanais"". Franceinfo (in French). 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  4. ^ Honigmann, David (2020-07-17). "Sharhabil Ahmed: The King of Sudanese Jazz — urgent and explosive". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  5. ^ Moore, Marcus J. (2019-09-17). "The Making of Moroccan Funk". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  6. ^ Music, Pan African (2018-09-12). "Habibi Funk to reissue legendary The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr album". Pan African Music. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  7. ^ "Habibi disco from around the world à La Folie Paris". www.sortiraparis.com (in French). Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  8. ^ "Various Artists: Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection of Music From the Arab World". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  9. ^ "The Record Label Unearthing the Arab World's Rarest Records". Mille World. 2018-08-03. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  10. ^ "Habibi Funk Records". Habibi Funk Records. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
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