Wafik Habib

Shatha (Outing)

• Atabat
• Kint Zghir (I Was Young)
• La Tirmini Ya Shweiqi (Don't Dump me, My Love)

• Ya Jfein (Oh, Eyelid)
• Arab El Sharqyyeh (Eastside Arabs)
• Teir El Bayadiri (Bird of Bayadiri)

Label

Location Issued

Artist Origin

Credits

Wafik Habib - vocals

Al-Atlal band, led by Talal Da'our.
Talal Da'our: keys
Hassan Hammadeh: percussion

Artistic video editing: Layali Al Ghab

More Info

In this recording of a wedding in the town of Shatha near Hama in 2002, the master of ceremonies introduces Talal Da'our as "the keyboard player and the young man who proved to be the maestro of shaabi music.” This description didn't come out of nowhere. Da'our adapted the keyboard to accommodate Syrian shaabi rhythms and melodies as if it were built for them. Perhaps only the mahraganat musicians in Egypt can match him in this regard. Despite being recorded at a wedding, this cassette has all the qualities of a studio recording. Da'our leads the Al-Atlal band to produce a cohesive arrangement, embellished by accompanying chorals, presenting us with songs that could easily be broadcast on the radio and listened to repeatedly. 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.