By Sam Napthine, Fourth year Liberal Arts
'You feel you could be dancing anywhere in the world', Sam Naphtine reviews Habibi Funk at Cosies
Part publisher, part archivist, and part curator, Habibi Funk successfully showcased their catalogue of popular Arabic music of the 1960s, 70s and 80s to a receptive and loyal audience last Saturday in Bristol. Jannis Stürtz who co-founded Berlin based label Habibi Funk has spent years searching and collecting records across North African countries; Morocco, Algeria, Sudan, Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia, with a strong favour towards disco heavy, and funk enthused popular music of the 1970s and 80s.
Playing at Bristol’s legendary St. Paul’s venue ‘Cosies’ on 3rd November, Stürtz suits the intimate setting, where the curved, tunneled room filled with an audience who sing along cheerfully to the disco hits, suits the globally influenced sound. When lost in the height of 1970s Moroccan disco hits, you feel you could be dancing anywhere in the world. The tracks which are sourced in the record stores of Casablanca and Beirut sound simultaneously new but familiar, the artists have heavily emulated western forms of pop but through the prism of their own local, historical influences. He plays his classic repertoire with tracks by the likes of Libyan electronic music pioneer Ahmed Fakroun, alongside some old school American hip-hop to funk up the mix.
On the night my friend who is newly acquainted to Habibi Funk raises the question of cultural appropriation vs cultural exchange, the largely white make up of the room listening to popular music from some areas of the world which have in recent years faced mass devastation, in part due to western policy, could feel uncomfortable. However, Stürtz works tirelessly to distribute any money earned off of the tracks, he will make it his mission to find the families of the artists whose music he re-releases, with any profits split 50.50. Furthermore, all of the label’s seven releases come with notes, photos, interviews and any information about the artist Stürtz can find. He points out that this is not a process of ‘discovery’ “One of the things that quite quickly someone pointed out to me, and that I stopped using, was the word ‘discover’, because it’s not music that hasn’t been there before I got to it,” he explains to The Independent. “Especially when you’re coming from the West, and you’re dealing with cultural goods from the region, I guess ‘discover’ is a historically complicated term.”
Stürtz has a tireless passion for this music, he packs up his collection of vinyl in a compact red box at the end of his set and moves on to the next city where he’ll showcase his tracks, with a very international schedule, the music is finding an ever-growing audience. Although, he tells me afterwards in the smoking area that it is getting more and more difficult to find these records with an increasing interest, in part I assume to the exposure Stürtz has given these records. However, with 10 new releases, or selections of music he’s collected in the pipeline it doesn’t seem like he has too much to worry about.
Featured Image: Habibi Funk/ Habibi Funk Records
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