Jelmoudi,
Imam el Rika,
El Faris,
Cheb Fajer,
Pat Jabbar,
Cheb Qchatar,
Bombax,
Abderrahim Akkaoui,
Cheb Youssef,
Abdou,
Nourredine
Genres: Rock
Representative Albums: "Revolt Against Reason," "Les Riam," "Acting Salam"
Biography
The second of the Moroccan electro-trad bands to have their music distributed by the Barbarity label in Switzerland (Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effects were the first). By the standards of world music, Ahlam is unusual, employing traditional instruments such as djembe and mandolin, and rai-type vocals, against some electric guitar, bass, and electronic sampling. By the standards of Moroccan music, they're downright radical, not only in their mix'n'match of indigenous music with modern Western rock, dance, and dub, but in their lyrical attitude. The liner notes to their first album, for instance, advocate a "non-violent intifada"; one of the tracks is meant to be a "call for peace between Araba & Jews." That debut record, Revolt Against Reason, was a smorgasbord of Moroccan pop and left-field sound effects and electronics. Bill Laswell co-produced the second album, Messages from Arabs, which has a more club-friendly feel (especially in the programming and sampling), but loses some of the unpredictable inspiration of the previous recording. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
Ahlam Ali Al Shāmsi (Arabic: أحلام علي الشامسي) (born February 13, 1969), commonly known as Ahlam (Arabic: أحلام) is a leading female singer from Bahrain who became a UAE citizen in 1996. She has 9 albums to her name, and is popular throughout the Middle East, particularly in the Persian Gulf region.
Biography
Ahlam started her singing career when she was a little child. She used to sing in school plays and national ceremonies, and through this she was noticed by the Kuwaiti music composer, Anwar Abdullah. This recognition lead Ahlam to sign a contract with Funoon Al Emarat, a local Gulf-Music production company. The composer Anwar Abdullah also assisted her through the release of her debut self-titled album, (Ahlam). As of November 2009, Ahlam was reported heavily pregnant when she was seen performing at a royal wedding.