Today we’re listening to Charif Megarbane, a Lebanese producer and multi-instrumentalist. He grew up in Beirut where he’s still based, and over the past 20 years has put out over 100 records under various aliases.1 Since 2015, he’s released four under his own name, which draw from a panoply of global influences: 1960s Italian film scores, ‘70s psychedelia, Afrobeat, ‘90s boom bap, and Middle Eastern folk. He’s called the alchemical result “Lebrary” music.2 We’re playing his two LPs that came out on the label Habibi Funk. First is Marzipan from 2023, which layers eclectic compositions over a hip-hop beat template, evocative of Madlib. Second is Hawalat, which came out in April, and blends a kind of Ennio Morricone spaghetti Western gravitas with traditional Lebanese modes and instrumentation.
Marzipan - Charif Megarbane (48m, no vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal
Hawalat - Charif Megarbane (51m, occasional vocals)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Amazon Music / Bandcamp / Tidal
Have a great Thursday.
so good!!!!!!!