Smadj: Spleen

Born in Paris, but raised in a Tunisian culture, guitarist Smadj mixes two world views that mix the mysticism of the Middle East and Mediterranean with modern pop senses. Much of the time, you get a mix of moody guitar/oud musings along with synthetic percussive patters, as on “Smadjibe” and “The B of the Desert,” while the electronics sometimes team up with Arabic vocals on “Ya Hmama” which results in a kind of melding of folk and disco. Some earthy accordion musings team up with prancing piano on the delightful “Variation Sur En Theme” and there is enough space to hold a full moon on the glowing “Solution.” The mix of electronic percussion with acoustic at times detracts, but not enough to cease absorbing the warm sounds of the Sahara here.

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