V.A. - The Rough Guide To Arabesque (2002) FLAC (tracks), lossless

 People are familiar with rai or some of the more traditional music to emerge from North Africa and the Middle East, but lately there's also been an undercurrent of more adventurous music -- hip-hop and electronica. The roots still shout loud and proud, but the sounds (often made by artists who've moved to Europe or the U.S.) are as hard and modern as anything, anywhere -- for example, the rap of Clotaire K or Mafia Maghrebine, the edgy, skittering rhythms of U-Cef, or the powerful trance of Gnawa Impulse. And this compilation makes the ideal introduction, from the pounding beats of "A Muey A Muey," which was a revelation and breakthrough when it first appeared, to the contemporary remix of Ali Slimani's "S'Habi." The full range of the music gets an airing here, and for anyone with an urge to explore the lesser-known (for now) areas of Maghrebi music, this is the starting point. by Chris Nickson
Tracklist:
1 Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effects – A Muey A Muey 5:11
Written-By – Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effects
2 Oojami – Fantasy 5:05
Written-By – Oojami
3 Clotaire K – Beyrouth Ecoeurée 3:41
Written-By – Clotaire K
4 Nickodemus Feat. Andrea Montiero – Desert Dancer 5:32
Written-By – Nickodemus
5 Momo – Dourbiha 6:22
Written By – Lahbib, Nania, Il Idrissi
6 Ali Slimani – S'Habi (Stereomovers Remix) 8:01
Lyrics By – Cheb Nacim
Music By – Yazid Fentazi
Music By, Arranged By, Lyrics By – Ali Slimani
Remix – Stereomovers
7 DuOud – Zanzibar 5:39
Oud – Mehdi Haddab
Written-By – Smadj
8 Mafia Maghrebine – Frère Faut Que Tu Saches 4:34
Written By – R. Kadoussi/A. Lazaar/L. Tlili, J. Ouize
9 Bled Runner Feat. Dida Brother–    Sidi Mansour (Remix) 5:39
Traditional
10 Soap Kills – Tango 4:07
Written-By – Ziad Awad, Khaled Abou El Nassr
11 U-Cef – Aalash Kwawna 5:04
Written-By – Moulay Youssef Adel
12 Gnawa Impulse – Lahillah Express (Remix) 3:55