Abu Ama and BedouinDrone’s most recent collaboration, Dawlat Lībiyyā, is being presented to the world by Mahorka Records, who have released this album as a well-deserved vinyl edition as well as a adding an extra track added to the digital version. The duo released several albums both together and individually for the record label before, but this will be their first vinyl release for Mahorka, and we are hoping that many more releases appear.
As an aside, the artwork was done by longtime Mahorka resident designer Angel Draganov, based on calligraphy paintings by Brett Tassenon, which is an absolutely stunning thing to look at on a digital format. I can only imagine how gorgeous the actual vinyl edition must look.
About the music… Absolutely crunchy, grinding beats which blend Middle Eastern rhythms and found sound into a post-Industrial gruel that acts like Muslimgauze (these days just a grift of Bryn Jones’ leftover experiments) only hinted at. I say this as a fan of early Muslimgauze, where the aforementioned Mr. Jones used his imagination and political fervor for the Islamic world cause-du-jour to give his brutal and gritty music a more radical edge, Abu Ama and BedouinDrone imbue their beats with a more honest, authentic feeling.