Bahdeni Nami

If you are approaching Souleyman’s music from the Modeselektor direction then this is a great place to start. If you’ve followed his career for years you may feel the electronic dressing smooths off a few of the appealingly rougher edges of his and Sa’id’s sound--but if anything they show just how far ahead he remains stylistically.

There’s no need for conceptual nonsense that distracts from the entire point of this music: to make you move your body. On that level, Souleyman has triumphed; making music that is completely participatory in nature. If you’re not dancing or clapping while listening, you’re doing something wrong.

For those who are familiar with Souleyman’s work, there may be nothing particularly new sonically on Bahdeni Nami. Regardless, it still remains a dizzying and exhilarating affair, preserving Souleyman’s power as an artist and performer.

It's a total weirdo crossover success, and perhaps Bahdeni Nami's standout if club fodder is what you're after.

Bahdeni Nami's greatest appeal will be to newer fans who may prefer more contemporary production to the gritty lo-fi dabke aesthetic. That said, despite various flourishes, these producers try hard to remain true to Souleyman's spirit and, with only one exception, succeed in spades.