Wafik Habib

Yalli Beitak Min Ballor (You, Whose House is Made of Glass)

• Attaba
• Yalli Beitak Min Ballor (You, Whose House is Made of Glass)
• Attaba

• Attaba
• Beit El Shaar Nasabtillak (I Presented a Verse of Poetry to You)
• Ataba
• Ya Khayen El 'Ishra (O' Traitor)

Label

Location Issued

Artist Origin

Credits

Vocals: Wafik Habib
Lyrics by the poet Ahmad Shahadeh
Music composed by brothers Maher Al Ali & Thaer Al Ali
Keyboardist: Wissam Ibrahim
Oud: Thaer Al Ali
Nay: Maher Al Ali

More Info

Wafik Habib left an impact on Syrian shaabi music that is difficult to compare to others. We can almost say that his emergence in the 1990s instigated an entirely new era of this music. With Habib, the keyboard transformed from being an accompanying instrument to a primary one. His collaborations with iconic keyboard player Talal Da'our opened the door to experimentation and mastery of this instrument, reaching remarkable harmony with Eastern rhythms. Habib played a major role in representing the Sahel region in Syrian shaabi music, paving the way for several successful singers from the region, such as Ali Al-Deek. Thanks to the success of his songs, Syrian shaabi singers began searching for their own hit songs, rather than just relying on traditional revivals. With Habib, shaabi songs moved from the stage to the studio and from weddings to music festivals. Before his legendary partnership with Talal Da'our, Wafik Habib worked for a period with composer and musician brothers Maher and Thaer Al Ali. The duo played a crucial role in shaping the features of shaabi music of the Sahel region composing and performing several songs for Wafik Habib, including Duqqu Al-Mahbaj. Before Thaer Al Ali transitioned into singing himself, the brothers released hit songs, such as Watfeh, that swept across Syria and neighboring countries. In this cassette, likely recorded in the late 1990s, we hear Wafik Habib performing a series of ataba songs accompanied by Maher Al Ali's soulful ney. The song Ya Khayen El 'Ishra (O' Traitor) is a standout track, where Thaer Al Ali draws his oud, launching a series of smooth passages that push the keyboard aside and dominate the arrangement.