In collaboration with the festival Sexto Unplugged from Pordenone (IT) and Kino Šiška, the cross-border festival Glasbe sveta/Musiche dal Mondo, which unites Nova Gorica (SI) and Gorizia (IT), presents the ambassadors of “Arabian fuzz” Al-Quasar, who will perform with acclaimed Sudanese-American guest vocalist Alsarah from Alsarah & The Nubatones!
An explosive mix of heavy Arabian grooves, global psychedelia and North African trance music!
“That’s pretty bitchin.”
Iggy Pop
Al-Qasar feat. Alsarah (France, Sudan/USA)
When continents collide, they make a thunderous sound. Arabian fuzz, they term it, a vision that’s brazenly electric and deeply connected to its roots. Al-Qasar was started in the Barbès neighbourhood of Paris by producer Thomas Attar Bellier. The musicians came together, from France, Lebanon, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, and the United States. On Al-Qasar’s first full-length album, Who Are We?, out on Glitterbeat Records, bass, drums and percussion create an irresistible groove, while electric saz and guitars build a wailing wall above, with ecstatic Arabic vocals inspired by history as it strides into the future. Like a psychedelic celebration on the dancefloor, it bristles with the kind of deep energy that makes Al-Qasar sound like the world’s most dangerous wedding band. Al-Qasar’s magnetic pull drew big names from around the world, such as The Dead Kennedys’ Jello Biafra, Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Sudanese innovator Alsarah, Algerian oud virtuoso Mehdi Haddab (Speed Caravan), and acclaimed Egyptian singer Hend Elrawy (Orange Blossom). Al-Qasar’s music never wavers, pulling from the hypnotic roots of North African trance and threading it into a fabric with the elaborate beauty of Arabic scales and the shock and thrill of rock’n’roll. The collective notably appeared at the following international festivals: Pukkelpop, WOMAD, Lowlands, TransMusicales, and Reeperbahn.
Glasbe sveta/Musiche dal Mondo 2023
18─28. 7. 2023
The 12th edition of the cross-border festival of musical diversity, which has been connecting Gorizia, Nova Gorica and the wider border area for more than a decade and focuses on presenting different music from all over the world, brings a traditionally eclectic musical programme. The 2023 lineup includes Marc Ribot (USA), Anna Garano (IT), Širom (Slovenia), CRIMI (France), James Senese (IT), Ivo Papasov & His Bulgarian Wedding Band (BG) and Al-Qasar & Alsarah (France, Sudan/USA).
Organisation: KUD Morgan, Sexto ‘Nplugged Festival, Kino Šiška, Goriški muzej, Controtempo
