modern bellydance from lebanon (ARC music)

modern bellydance from lebabon

Using a combination of traditional and modern instruments he creates a style of modern Lebanese dance music that is catchy and propulsive. Several of the pieces are instrumental while Emad's singing is straightforward and accessible. He avoids the quarter tones that characterise Oriental music so that the dancer is left to respond to the banter between the keyboard/zither themes, the singer and the all-important rhythms of the darbouka and rik.

As dance music this is certainly better than some Lebanese bellydance music I've reviewed in the past, where electronics tended to swamp the pulse. However those seeking something with a bit of depth will find it all a bit too functional and one-dimensional. July 2003