Syrian musical legend Omar Souleyman and his revolving crew of musicians have been a staple of folk pop in their home country for years, which might well be due to the fact they have released more than five-hundred studio and live cassette albums, a great feat by all accounts. For those not familiar with Omar's music: it is an amalgamation of Syrian, Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish styles and is driven by Arabic keyboard solos and frantic break-neck speed rhythms. His first hit in his home-country was with 'Jani' in 1996 and over the years his popularity has steadily risen through the circulation of his own particular brand of music (called Shabi) passed hand to hand through the villages of Syria. He talks to us here about his history, the spread of his music worldwide and how embracing technology has set him apart from his fellow Syrian musicians.
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