Show Recap: Omar Souleyman at Red 7, 08/29/13

Photo Courtesy of http://airwaves.grapevine.is/

I first discovered Syrian musician Omar Souleyman earlier this year when one of my colleagues at SXSW booked him to perform at our 2013 event. He performed for our Red Cross benefit show called "Our Hearts Ache for Syria" at Austin's Long Center for Performing Arts for which all of the proceeds went to aid the 80,000+ refugees of the Syrian crisis. The showcase had quite the impressive lineup, also including Black Lips, Deer Tick, and White Lung. However most people had absolutely no idea about the insanity that Souleyman went through to even get to Austin for his performance. I remember being back in the Music Festival Headquarters room at the Austin Convention Center and my colleague who had booked them panicking over the fact that he was stuck in the Middle East and might not even make it over. You can read all about the tribulations he experienced in The FADER's article, "Omar Souleyman takes the long road to SXSW." It is quite the fascinating story!

However, God willing, he did make it here just in time to perform. I unfortunately am not really able to get the chance to see any showcases during SXSW as I am running around working and checking on my own shows, and this was one I also had to miss out on. However, I had already been intrigued by Souleyman's music and his interesting background and hoped that he would eventually come back again. He had only been to Austin one other time to perform during the Chaos in Tejas festival in 2011, but at the time I wasn't living in Austin. Lucky for me, Transmission Events snagged him for a show on August 29th, one of his only three US tour dates. The only other two shows he played was for LA's FYF Fest and Pioneer Works 10 Year Anniversary show in New York. 

I suppose I should back up for a minute here and explain that Souleyman first started his career as a wedding performer in Syria in 1994. His traditional Middle Eastern folk music is performed in Kurdish and Arabic. Several years ago he was picked up by Seattle based label Sublime Frequencies who primarily focus on exposing international and world music artists. He released five albums on the label and through that has gained more prominent recognition in The States. He also did some absolutely amazing remixes of several Bjork tracks off her 2011 album, Biophilia. He is now on London's Ribbon Music/Domino Recordings label who are releasing his most recent album, Wenu Wenu.

Of course when I found out I had the opportunity to see Souleyman I jumped at the chance, having no idea when I'll even be able to see him again as he typically only performs overseas. Unfortunately the show was more sparsely attended than I would have liked to have seen, but I suppose he does cater to a niche market. Regardless, I was absolutely thrilled to have been there. Souleyman performs on stage with a DJ of sorts who runs his futuristic sounding tracks with the use of high-powered synthesizers. His style of music definitely has it's traditional roots but can appeal to a more mass audience because of his relatively heavy electronic sound. It's great dancing music and I can absolutely understand why he made such a name for himself in Syria through his performances at weddings and parties. He wears traditional Syrian garb and dark sunglasses, evoking a sense of mystery; I personally found myself entranced by his stage presence. 

Holding nothing but his microphone, Souleyman chanted out his lyrics and clapped his hands, encouraging the crowd to move and shake. Honestly the show was nothing like what I'd ever experienced before, and I have been to hundreds of shows. People who didn't even know each other grabbed hands and started a large dancing circle. Every single person in the venue seemed to be completely enthralled by this unique experience. And unlike so many musicians I've seen before, Souleyman had such a humble and thankful attitude toward his fans. He really didn't speak much, granted his English is sparse, but continually put his hands together and bowed his head toward the crowd to show his gratitude. 

Overall this show was one of the most mind-blowing I've ever seen. I truly hope that I have the opportunity to see him perform again in the future. World music is a genre that I don't know a ton about, however, Souleyman definitely encouraged me to open my horizons to what else is out there from an international standpoint. I strongly urge anyone who has the chance to see him to take to the occasion and go get your Syrian dance pants on!