Die Initiative Syrian Cassette Archives (SCA) hat sich zum Ziel, Klänge und Geschichten aus der Blütezeit des Kultobjekts Kassette in Syrien von den 1970ern bis in die 2000er zu bewahren, zu verbreiten und zu erforschen. Das Medium Kassette hat die syrische Musiklandschaft massgeblich verändert. Syrische Musiker:innen und Musikstile, die selten über ihre eigenen Regionen hinaus bekannt waren, begannen, auch im Ausland Interesse zu wecken. Die ständig wachsende Sammlung des SCA umfasst Musikstile aus den vielen Gemeinschaften und Nachbarländern Syriens, darunter von syrisch-arabische, assyrische, kurdische, armenische und irakische. Sie birgt Aufnahmen von Live-Konzerten, Studioalben, Solos, klassischer Musik, Kindermusik und mehr. Ein besonderer Schwerpunkt auf regionalen Formen der populären Genres Dabke und Shaabi.
👉 Programm & Tickets gibt’s unter www.sonicmatter.ch/kalender
Syrian Cassette Archives (SCA) is an initiative to preserve, share and research sounds and stories from Syria’s abundant cassette era between the 1970s and the 2000s. The rise of the cassette medium in Syria transformed the country’s musical landscape. Syrian musicians and musical styles that rarely travelled beyond their own locales began to attract interest further afield. The growing SCA collection features musical styles from Syriaʼs many communities and neighbors, including Syrian Arabs, Assyrians, Kurds and Armenians, as well as Iraqi cassettes. Amongst the tapes are recordings of live concerts, studio albums, soloists, classical, childrenʼs music and more, with special focus on the regional dabke and shaabi folk-pop music.
👉 Find the full line-up & tickets at www.sonicmatter.ch/en/calendar
🔊 Abdul Qader Hinnawi - Bahjilej (I’ll Tell You)
They said it couldn't be done, but tonight's show couldn't have been more successful. Thanks to everyone involved, including the audience and Peter Conheim @ H1-Dreamseer for an enigmatic evening that has permanently changed the world. Video link in bio... #kissinger #porest
The only Porest appearance of 2023 will occur in London this Saturday, the 28th of October as a small part of Vicki Bennett’s epic 3-day residency extravaganza at Cafe OTO. See you there!
POREST Bandcamp Friday Alert: (link in comments).
Porest (1976-77) — In mid-2023, an unmarked, unhoused cassette tape was discovered amongst tapes retrieved from Porest's late grandfather's collection, revealing one of the earliest known Porest albums – recorded in Northern California by a 6 and 7 year old Mark Gergis and unheard since.
Cassettes like these were recorded often at the Gergis household throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but very few survived the ages. Half of the cassette was recorded during a week-long stay at the grandparents' home, which housed a player piano in the basement. The tape was likely left behind accidentally and spared by a grandparent who shared an affinity for documentation but also had the foresight to know that it would sell for top dollar on Bandcamp in the distant future.
Porest the boy entertains with rudimentary radio dramas, sound effects, pause-button edits and inserts from radio & TV of the time, original numbers and several spirited attempts at 20th century musical favorites, manually pumped on a player piano. It's basically the same Porest you have always known, but better, and worse.
Longtime Porest collaborator Erik Gergis (age 2-3 yrs) can be heard on guitar (track 7) and in discussion on tracks 3 & 6.
Also featured is one of the earliest 'punk' songs ever recorded in the United States. "Everybody BROKEN" was recorded straight-to-cassette and sung while violently straddling a rocking horse in early September of 1976 – well ahead of the competition. This track existed solely in the rumor realm for decades, until now – settling the disputes over Porest being one of the first to compose and record in the genre.
What a thing to say…. Erkin Koray left the physical world today. Farewell Erkin, and limitless thanks for your music and friendship. It was a true honor to know you and to have worked with you in this world. Everyone please send their best energy toward Erkin’s wonderful daughter Damla, who has remained by his side. He has has left us with a legacy of living music to remember and draw inspiration from, and for that we can be grateful. #erkinkoray
Now up on Bandcamp (link in comments) Porest’s full length digital hot mess…
"Mood Noose" is Porest's 2nd or 3rd full length album – originally released by San Francisco's Resipiscent Records in 2005 as a Compact Disc. As a durational gesture, the album asked if it could be made available in a less tactile digital format in 2022. Its wish has been granted in 2023.
"Oakland’s Porest (aka Mark Gergis) wears many masks. This time it’s a noose of moods....an eclectic stockpile of harnessed multi-instrumental chaos in the form of razor-scored melodies, anthro-apologist cutups, brute ambience, mythological dramatizations and swirled radio psychedelia."
“I forgot it was your world” – Lionel Richie
“…you’ll just cry” - Drew Daniel (Matmos) / Pitchfork
March 6th, 2020 - Five days before a global pandemic was declared, Porest embarked on a fact-solving mission to Brooklyn, NY in a gallant attempt to entertain the masses one final time. This would be the last live performance anyone in New York would see for centuries. Special thanks to ISSUE PROJECT ROOM + longtime friend & collaborator Leyya Tawil, who brought Porest and the incredible Las Sucias together that night as part of her Nomadic Signals series. Porest was honored to be joined on stage by very special guest Sholeh Asgary.
Full video is up at Issue Project Room’s site. Link in comments.
Very happy to share Syrian Cassette Archive’s first official interview, in which we had the honor of speaking extensively with Syrian singer Ahmed Al-Koseem — an artist whose impact on the collective cultural memory of Syria’s Houran region cannot be understated. Across the period of almost three decades, Al-Koseem has learned from and greatly contributed to the folk and shaabi musical heritage of the region, which he has performed extensively in Syria and other Arab countries. You can listen to the full interview in Arabic or read it in both Arabic and English on our website now. more info: @syriancassettearchives
The glorious Phương Tâm double LP has arrived! - Now available for preorder — and finding its way to the shops asap.
Don’t forget to follow @phuong_tam_official on IG & @phuong.tam.official on FB as the journey continues.
Sublime Frequencies SF120-LP - Phương Tâm: Magical Nights – Saigon Surf, Twist & Soul (1964-1966)
#saigonrock
#pre75music
#phuongtam
#sublimefrequencies
#saigonrockandsoul
Syrian Cassette Archives Mixtape (vol.1) is now available on Bandcamp to celebrate the launch of
Visit — All proceeds go toward supporting the SCA initiative.
Syrian Cassette Archives is live!
The beta site is a work-in-progress, and will continue to grow. For now, please dive in, and continue to follow us on social media for updates, featured cassettes, interviews with musicians, producers and distributors from Syria’s cassette era and unique audio-visual and written content produced by the SCA collective and its collaborators.
@syriancassettearchives / Syrian Cassette Archives (SCA) is an initiative to preserve, share and research sounds and stories from Syria’s cassette era (1970s-2000s).
Many thanks to the global SCA team and contributors and supporters... more to follow.
يسعدنا تقديم
الموقع قيد التطوير ، وسيستمر في النمو عبر التفاعل معكم وأرائكم وملاحظاتكم المشكورة مسبقا. نتمنى أن تجدوا المحتوى ممتع وأن تتابعونا على وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي لمعرفة كل جديد عن أشرطة الكاسيت المميزة والمقابلات مع الموسيقيين والمنتجين والموزعين من عصر الكاسيت في سوريا والمحتوى الصوتي والمرئي والمكتوب الفريد من إنتاج فريق الأرشيف والمتعاونين معه. أرشيف الكاسيت السوري هو مبادرة لحفظ الأصوات والقصص من حقبة الكاسيت في سوريا (السبعينيات - الألفينيات) ومشاركتها والبحث فيها.
شكرا جزيلا لفريق الأرشيف من حول العالم والمساهمين والداعمين ... المزيد قريبا!
