Ahmad Tilawi is considered a cornerstone of the recorded archive of Syria’s shaabi music scene. His presence was widespread in the 1980s and 1990s, performing attaba, shaabi, mawal and dabke at private parties and weddings, to the point that it’s difficult to browse a handful of tapes in our archive without coming across his name. Sharing the stage with Tilawi was often seen as a rite of passage for emerging shaabi singers, both male and female, including Fariha Al Abdullah, Ibrahim Al-Saad, and Hussein Al Abdullah, especially in the realm of ataba, which Tilawi’s name became synonymous with. Tilawi spent most of his life in his hometown of Saraqib, located in the countryside of Idlib, only leaving - heartbroken - when he was forced to flee due to armed conflict. Ahmad Tilawi – Al Atshana Party In this typical wedding party cassette, to the extent that it begins with a warning against firing ammunition into the air, young Ahmad Tilawi presents a series of performances of traditional shaabi and mawal, dominated by his slow and immersive singing style, as heard on his sprawling rendition of the folk classic, Dal'ona, which spans the first third of the Side A. Throughout the recording, Tilawi is accompanied by a minimalist arrangement that keeps the focus on his voice, with only the rebab competing for the spotlight, complementing his voice with a gentle dynamism. The cassette was issued by Master Cassette recordings, based in Jerusalem, Palestine. The label established a strong reputation in Levantine shaabi music with its extensive collection of wedding and party recordings, which it began producing in 1998. To date, Master Cassette has published over 14,000 videos on its YouTube channel, which boasts a following of more than half a million listeners. Ahmad Tilawi – Hala Habibi (Welcome, My Love) Ahmad Tilawi achieved a considerable amount of his success thanks to his dominance in the field of ataba and mawal, and we can understand why as we listen to this cassette. Over time, Tilawi developed a rich and deep timbre, coupled with a sophisticated singing style. On this recording, released by Aleppo-based label Al Faihaa, we hear Tilawi’s voice drenched in reverb, shadowed closely by the rebab's accompaniment. Another Tilawi cassette characterized by its slow-burning performance in a way that allows the listener to relish the details of his poignant voice. Tilawi opens the second side of the cassette with his performance of the poem I Remembered the Days of Union Beside You (of unknown origin). His voice, echoed in weighty reverb, achieves a sense of grandeur, as the strings weave an ambient sonic backdrop behind him. This same poem was famously sung by Aleppine vocalist Adeeb Al Dayekh. Ahmad Tilawi – Mawawel Jerh Kalbi (Mawal From My Heart's Wounds) Released by Al Faihaa recordings, this tape captures a recording of a 2009 wedding performance by Tilawi, blending traditional Syrian string arrangements with the subtle presence of the keyboard, which by then had left a deep and omnipresent mark on Syrian shaabi. Notably, the keyboard’s presence here remains minimal and sporadic. Tilawi’s voice, accustomed to string accompaniment for decades, does not seem to fully embrace this modern electronic shift. Across both sides of the cassette, Tilawi performs a series of mawals, most of which are dedicated to members of the wedding party, delivered in a thick, sticky voice that clings to the ear like glue, and like glue, also intoxicates its listener. Ahmad Tilawi – Majarih (Wounded) Tilawi is known for his frequent collaborations during concerts, and here he performs alongside a female voice referred to only as "Al-Hajjiat", a term that refers to female shaabi singers from Homs who faced rejection from the conservative society around them. The voice likely belongs to Fariha Al Abdullah, the rural Homs singer whose career Tilawi supported from the time she was 18, and with whom he has shared the stage with on numerous occasions. Released by Disco Al Sharq in Damascus, this cassette presents us with the liveliest and dance-inducing of Tilawi’s recordings on this list, with its sweet exchange between his voice and that of his female counterpart. The call-and-response structure breaks the monotony of male-dominated shaabi tapes, and makes room for an unleashed dynamic. This dynamism reaches its peak on the song Habhabni Ala Al Khadein on Side B.