WOMAD

Tarab Al Emarat

From United Arab Emirates

The region-specific acoustic music of the Gulf
Not too many musical styles take inspiration from the walking patterns of animals. Emirati chaabi can. Forming part of the repertoire of this acoustic eight-piece, its 6/8 rhythm is a deliberate replication of a camel's loping gait. But music in this style is far from the extent of Takht Al Emarat's limits. As well as playing some classic Arabic tunes (from the songbooks of people like Fairuz), this strictly acoustic outfit also play Gulf - or khaleej - music, a region-specific style whose rhythms suggest undeniable connections with India and Africa. Indeed, the name of one of its offshoots - rumba khaleeji - indicates a clear lineage back to the mother continent. Featuring some deftly played qanun (the forerunner of the European zither), haunting sax and a two-strong tag team of oud players, Tarab Al Emarat's instrumentals act as a reposte to overly cheesy latter-day Arabic music, harking back to a time when small clusters of classical musicians would gather to produce some truly transcendental music.
(Biography written by Nige Tassell 2010)