Une Voix M’Appelle: Voix D L’Orient 67-84 V.1

Those profiled include Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid, maverick producer/arranger/composer Elias

Rahbani, mysterious talents like Nicolas Dick and Robert Maalouf and the father of the label’s founder,

Abdallah Chahine, a pianist of immense talent. As told in detailed liner notes by DJ, music researcher and

legacy-keeper Ernesto Chahoud and Natalie Shooter, this period of Lebanese music formed the

soundtrack to the city of Beirut during its multiple transformations, from its 1950s to 1960s heyday as ‘the

Switzerland of the Orient’ through to the mid 1970s and 1980s, when it soundtracked the tragic days of the

Lebanese Civil War. From Chahoud’s liner notes: “I spent years going through thousands of titles from one

of the largest catalog of Lebanese and Arabic music, by one of the earliest labels in the Arab world, Voix De

L’Orient, to handpick the 12 songs that represent a survey into this momentous catalog.The Lebanese

musical experiment, stretching almost seven decades, has offered one of the most complex and fully

fledged modern Oriental scenes of the Arab world. These 12 songs were released in different periods and

embody a wide range of musical ideas from the most adventurous on the Voix De L’Orient label, those

musicians that played major roles in the renaissance of ancient musical traditions. So, from the ’60s and

’70s, you’ll hear Adballah Chahine improvising on Oriental scales on a custom-made piano that he

developed in order to play quarter tones; you’ll engage the radical approach to folkloric music from the

legendary Iraqi composer and oud player Munir Bechir; you’ll enjoy the timeless blend of Occidental and

Oriental forms as fused by the genius Elias Rahbani. The songs by Georgette Sayegh, Adib Abou Antoun

and Robert Maalouf give a sense of Lebanon’s unique ’70s and ’80s pop sounds.You might think that this

music comes from a foreign, faraway culture, and I suppose it does, for some, but this music is close to us

all. This anthology is presented 100 percent free of cultural appropriation. This album is a genuine attempt

to escape the ephemeral aspect of everyday, fast music fashions. This album is absolute beauty to play out

loud, while waiting for the second volume to come.”