Alaa Band

Alaa Band 1991

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We don't know much about the history or activity of the Alaa Band. It's possible that this tape of cover songs was their only recorded output. Recorded in the early nineties in the southern Syrian city of Daraa, the eight-man group perform their own versions of various folkloric songs, most of which belong to southern Syria and the Houran region. What is notable on this album are their arrangement choices and unorthodox instrumentation, decidedly stepping outside of the common traditional palette of the time. The visionaries behind this album presented a modern take on regional folk songs that fit more with the minimalistic production styles of contemporary Arabic and Egyptian songs in the early nineties, relying exclusively on the sound of the keyboard without any additions.