An underground icon throughout the Arab world, vocalist Yasmine Hamdan presents her mesmerizing debut solo album - an elegant mutant strain of electro folk, inspired by various Middle eastern traditions - written and produced in collaboration with Marc Collin of Nouvelle Vague. Yasmine first became known with Soapkills, the duo she founded in Beirut, which was probably the first indie/electronic band to appear in the Middle East. The music of Soapkills quickly became the soundtrack to the vibrant, young arts scene which developed in postwar Lebanon and elsewhere in the Arab world. On moving to Paris Yasmine worked with CocoRosie and French electronic music producer Mirwais. The inspiration for the melodies and the lyrics of her music comes from the great Arab women singers of the mid-20th century and the mischievous sensuality and the subtle, ironic social criticism which pervades their lyrics. Yasmine's vocals are connected to traditions of Arabic music but the structures and arrangements of the songs are very remote from its codes.

Singer and oud player Dhafer Youssef is one of the most appealing stars of world music, yet his music still resists categorisation within that vague genre. Last year we heard him in a "supergroup" with Omar Sosa and Anga Diaz, but he sounds more comfortable accompanied by the talented crop of Norwegian musicians loosely associated with "nu-jazz". This cool style of playing, loose-limbed and hard-edged, provides the perfect backdrop to the Mediterranean warmth of Youssef's compositions. The most significant collaborator is producer-guitarist Eivind Aarset, who supplies backdrops of wide-ranging style and density, while remaining empathetic to Youssef's musical personality. Youssef can be deep, light-hearted, complex, funky and achingly romantic, sometimes all within one song. The album's pace is leisurely, full of atmosphere, groove and great playing, but rarely self-indulgent; you never forget whose album it is. By taking the most positive aspects of nu-jazz, Aarset and Youssef have forged a thrilling new sound that could make Divine Shadows a crossover hit.

Ofra Haza was quite possibly the most beloved singer in Israel's history, and one of Israel's most recognizable faces and voices worldwide. As a daughter of immigrants from Yemen's Jewish community and as an international superstar, she incorporated many styles into her repertoire. This wonderful collection contains 53 of her most popular songs in Hebrew, Arabic, and English.

The young Egyptian soprano Fatma Said, praised for the luminosity and rich colours of her voice, makes her recording debut for Warner Classics with El Nour. Her enticing and absorbing recital programme crosses cultures, combining art songs by French, Spanish and Egyptian composers with Egyptian folk songs and popular songs from the Middle East. As she explains, “‘El Nour’ in Arabic means ‘the light’, and this album sheds light on how music that has been interpreted many times can be perceived in a different light. The idea is to connect three cultures – Arabic, French and Spanish – and to show how much, despite cultural, geographical and historical differences, they have in common when it comes to music”.

Collection includes: Im Nin 'alu (Played In Full Mix) (1987) Maxi-Single; Shaday (1988); 5 Tracks (1989) Japan Only EP; Desert Wind (1989); Kirya (1992); Ofra Haza (1997); Forever Ofra Haza: Her Greatest Songs Remixed (2008).

This feast for the ears almost defies classification. Richard Horowitz is probably best known for his award-winning score to the Bernardo Bertolucci movie, The Sheltering Sky. Featured on the album is Tehran singer Sussan Deyhim; her voice is extremely expressive in an "x-tatic" Middle Eastern style, with its distinctive embellishments and phrasing. Horowitz takes recordings of her voice and layers it in subtle yet exotic tapestries and harmonies. This is not the ripoff sampling done so often on ambient dance albums. Deyhim's voice is the center of the compositions, and her artistry is always honored. At times, her combined voices sound like the Manhattan Transfer, but when the title track features 84 recombined samples of her voice, the result is very unique. Although the sound processing is important, the album features many live musicians, including world music expert Jaron Lanier and members of the Moroccan National Radio and Television Orchestra. Majoun offers layers upon veils of mysteries and never stoops to trite Middle Eastern musical clichés. Highly recommended.

Taken from material released in the '80s by the French Melodie label, these pieces were recorded before N'Dour became a major international star (as the title indicates). As such, he was making music for the home market, which wanted its mbalax sound hard – and that's what he gave them. He was still putting the elements together, but the basic components were in place – the rhythm and that remarkable high griot voice, then at its raw best. It's interesting to compare "Alboury" in this version to the one on Set, several years later. There's a pumping energy here that has become channeled on the later recording – maybe not as focused, but with a flavor of youth that's undeniable. And that energy transmits itself through all these tracks.

Buddha-Bar, creator of Lounge music, is releasing its first Best Of album. Born in 1996, Buddha-Bar has become a Lounge temple of excellence. It is the first restaurant to blend gastronomy and music thus setting itself as THE creator of Lounge Music. Now with more than 30 references in its catalogue, a wealth of 20 years of experience and around twenty venues worldwide, Buddha-Bar unveils its first Best Of compilation of the Buddha-Bar music series, beautifully wrapped and signed by Ravin. Carefully selected over the years, this triple album cd takes us to a bold journey to various musical cultures. From Middle East, India, passing by Africa and South American, the master “Ravin” promises hours of escape and serenity. Listen to all the classics that have set Buddha-Bar as a world leading reference in Lounge & Electronic music: Karunesh, Arno Elias, Koop, Nickodemus, Laidback, Parov Stellar, Hess is more… “Buddha-Bar Best Of” by Ravin, beyond a cd, is already a must-have reference.

2015 two CD set. Buddha-Bar has set itself as a Lounge music pioneer since the 90's. Known and recognized in France and internationally, Buddha-Bar is the lounge music reference of talent spotters in lounge and electronic music. With a subtle mix of chill, deep and electronic music influences, Buddha-Bar XVII is no exception to the savoir-faire of the little Parisian label, George V Records. Drawing inspiration from Morocco, this opus promises warmth and sensuality to take you to an enchanting dream world. Bold mixes, hypnotic compositions and aesthetic arrangements are the key components of this new selection filled with emotions. Travel from the coasts to the middle of the desert and let yourself be carried away by the warm and soothing melodies that are the signature of the very first opus of the music collection.

Yosefa Dahari is an Israeli singer born of Yemeni and Moroccan parents. Her style blends world beat electronic dance music beats with traditional singing styles of the Morocco and Yemen. Born Yosefa Dahari, she lives in Israel. Her recordings include Middle Eastern instruments such as the kanun, oud, zourna, darbouka and tin drum, as well as European instruments. Her style has been characterized as following in the tradition of the late Yemeni-Israeli singer Ofra Haza.

Sahra is a studio album from Algerian raï artist Khaled, released in 1996. It was the artist's biggest production to date, being co-produced by Philippe Eidel, Don Was, Jean-Jacques Goldman and Clive Hunt, and including performances by many other singers from around the world. It features what is perhaps Khaled's most popular song, "Aïcha". Most tracks are sung in Arabic, with a notable dosage of French. "Ki Kounti" is partially sung in Spanish as it features Mexican Rock vocalist Saúl Hernández from the reputable band Caifanes. The title track is named after Khaled's first daughter, Sarah, to whom the album is dedicated along with her mother, Samira.

Just Say Mao is the third installment of Sire Records' compilation series Just Say Yes, released in 1989. This one features material from Depeche Mode, Ofra Haza, Lou Reed, Erasure, k.d. lang, Morrissey and many more.

Just Say Yo is the second installment of Sire Records' compilation series Just Say Yes, released in 1988. This one features material from Depeche Mode, Ofra Haza, Lou Reed, Erasure, k.d. lang, Morrissey and many more.

The completely unknown debut album of Issam Hajali (Ferkat Al Ard) fuses jazz and folk with Arabic and Iranian influences into unique beauty. Originally released in a limited run of 75 cassette tape copies.

Born in Majorca c. 1232, three years after the Christian conquest of the island (1229), Ramon Llull had very close contact with Muslim culture. It was not until after he was thirty years old that he gave up his life at court and began to study theology and philosophy. Not long after that, he purchased a Moorish slave in order to learn Arabic. This proximity to the Muslim world gave him an exceptional insight into religion and culture which set him apart from all the intellectuals in the Europe of his day. A tireless traveller, he visited the principal courts of Christendom to rally support for his projects, and he did so while engaging in an intense missionary activity to convert Jewish and, above all, Muslim unbelievers.