Praise for Shlon:
“Shlon is a short and sharp addition to his discography and proof that his passion for the music is undiminished” – The Guardian (4/5 stars)
“his most cohesive album to date” – The Quietus
“his emotional magnetism is as strong as ever” – Bandcamp (Album of The Day)
“Each song could feel equally at home at a Syrian wedding and an east London nightclub” – NME (4/5 Stars)
“returns to the incendiary approach of his early albums, worrying not so much about hip textures and beats as delivering these songs as soulfully and energetically as possible” AllMusic (4/5 stars)
Syrian wedding singer turned global dance icon Omar Souleyman today releases visuals for the title track off his new album Shlon. Animated and directed by Sound Visuals Club (Major Lazer, Famous Dex, Diplo), the “Shlon” music video will make its television debut on Adult Swim’s Toonami programming block next Saturday, February 8th. Watch the “Shlon” video HERE and pre-order Shlon on 12” vinyl/shop Omar Souleyman merch HERE.
Arabic for “how,” or literally “which color,” the “Shlon” video depicts an animated Omar performing to a crowd of energized fans, clapping along as the speakers bump his fusion of techno, dabke and love poetry while the crowd dances hand in hand.
WATCH: OMAR SOULEYMAN – “SHLON” MUSIC VIDEO
On his fourth studio album Shlon, released November 22 via Mad Decent / Because Music, Omar Souleyman presents 6 new techno-meets-dabke songs about romance and love — specifically singing about an intriguing woman he watches from afar whose kiss would be worth 10 million other kisses on title track “Shlon” — all superimposed on complex techno arrangements by Hasan Alo, and based on the hi-speed Kurdish and Arabic dabke and baladi styles.
Shlon features double keyboard work from Hasan Alo, a fellow native of the Hasaka region in Northeastern Syria who has recently been active in the vibrant nightlife scene of Dubai. Azad Salih, a young Syrian man currently living in Mardin, Turkey, accompanies on saz, with love poetry written on the spot during the album’s recording session by longtime Omar collaborator Moussa Al Mardood – also currently based in Turkey.
Omar Souleyman Tour Dates:
01/31 – Barcelona, Spain @ NITZA
02/01 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Musicbox
02/06 – London, UK @ EartH (Evolution Arts Hackney)
02/07 – Cambridge, UK @ The Junction
02/08 – Venezia, Italy @ Punta della Dogana
02/27 – Liège, Belgium @ REFLEKTOR
02/28 – Leuven, Belgium @ Vooruit
02/29 – Leuven, Belgium @ Het Depot
03/07 – Aarhus, Denmark @ Atlas
03/21 – Berlin, Germany @ Säälchen, Berlin-friedrichshain
04/23 – Madrid, Spain @ Sala Shoko
04/24 – Alicante, Spain @ Aula de Cultura
05/16 – Grenoble, France @ Magic Bus Festival
PRAISE FOR SHLON:
“Shlon is a short and sharp addition to his discography and proof that his passion for the music is undiminished” – THE GUARDIAN (4/5 stars)
“his most cohesive album to date” – THE QUIETUS
“his emotional magnetism is as strong as ever” – BANDCAMP (Album of The Day)
“Each song could feel equally at home at a Syrian wedding and an east London nightclub” – NME (4/5 Stars)
“returns to the incendiary approach of his early albums, worrying not so much about hip textures and beats as delivering these songs as soulfully and energetically as possible” ALLMUSIC (4/5 stars)
“For a guy who’s released over 500 albums over the course of his life, Omar Souleyman still has a surprising amount of gas left in the tank.” – THE LINE OF BEST FIT
Omar Souleyman, who has collaborated with Björk and Four Tet, began his career as a prolific wedding singer, releasing nearly 500 live albums before civil war broke out in his native Syria in 2011. He then moved to Turkey and in 2013 released his Four Tet-produced debut studio album Wenu Wenu via Ribbon/Domino, which NPR called, “…a jam so visceral, thrilling and intense as to make the mysterious matter of earthly borders seem hardly worth the time to contemplate.” His 2015 sophomore album Bahdeni Nami (various producers including Four Tet, Gilles Peterson and Modeselektor) garnered widespread critical praise including The Guardian, who proclaimed “It’s so fast that the only appropriate way to engage with it is to wriggle your limbs. Melodies are both abrasive and ebullient, chattering endlessly like raucous birdsong,” and 2017’s To Syria, With Love via Mad Decent placing Omar firmly in the canon of global electronic music.
Souleyman has bolstered his growing status as a world and electronic music icon establishing an extensive international following after touring widely and performing at major festivals including Glastonbury, Bonnaroo, Pitchfork Paris and Roskilde. Since its founding in 2013, Souleyman has been an advocate for the charity “Our Heart Aches for Syria,” which operates in collaboration with Doctors Without Borders. In that same year, he performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Norway.
Omar Souleyman has been touring tirelessly since the release of To Syria, With Love, or in fact for as long as he can remember in the last 10 years. He has crossed the planet – now seeming quite small – several times over and looks forward to meeting his fans everywhere to celebrate the release of Shlon.
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