Omar Souleyman is a Syrian musician who is internationally renowned for his unique interpretation of Arabic folk music. His music is a mixture of traditional Arabic sounds, especially dabke, a regional dance music, and contemporary electronic elements. On April 11, this exceptional artist will be playing at the Kesselhaus in Berlin.
Omar Souleyman, who has already worked with Björk and Four Tet, began his career as a prolific wedding singer and released almost 500 live albums before the civil war broke out in his home country of Syria in 2011. in 2013, he released his debut album Wenu Wenu via Ribbon/Domino.
His second album Bahdeni Nami, released in 2015, was praised by many critics, including The Guardian, who declared: "It's so fast that the only appropriate way to engage with it is to wiggle your limbs. The melodies are both raucous and exuberant, chattering endlessly like loud birdsong", and 2017's To Syria, With Love, released via Mad Decent, places Omar firmly in the canon of global electronic music. Shlon was released on Mad Decent in late 2019 and the latest release is scheduled for early 2024. Souleyman has underpinned his growing status as an icon of world and electronic music, building a large international following after touring extensively and performing at major festivals such as Glastonbury, Bonnaroo, MDLBeast Soundstorm, Pitchfork Paris and Roskilde. In 2013, he performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Norway.