Arabic Groove (Putumayo Presents)

Putumayo Presents | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 12, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Putumayo World Music
• ASIN: B00005J6WU
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,330 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #1 in Music > World Music > Middle East > Arabic
  • #1 in Music > World Music > Middle East > Lebanon
  • #1 in Music > World Music > Africa > Algeria

Track Listings

1. Moi Et Toi - Abdel Ali Slimani

2. Galbi - Abdy

3. Leiley (Transglobal Underground Remix) - Dania

4. Amarain - Amr Diab

5. Intil Waheeda - Hisham Abbas

6. Hely Meli - Hamid El Shaeri

7. Mani - Fadela & Sahraoui

8. Kidda - Natacha Atlas

9. Mauvais Sang - Khaled

10. Ne Me Jugez Pas (Volodia Remix) - Sawt El Atlas

11. L'histoire - Cheb Tarik

Editorial Reviews

VARIOS INTERPRETES ARABIC GROOVE

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mid-Eastern Dance Beats!, March 5, 2002

By 

Zekeriyah (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Arabic Groove (Putumayo Presents) (Audio CD)

This CD focuses on dancey and pop styles from various Middle Eastern and North African musicians, and I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer diversity I found on this CD. Egyptian pop music is placed side by sid with Algerian Rai and even more exotic styles. It is truely an excellent CD, especially if you are already familar with Cairo pop music or Algerian Rai. The music on this CD is incredibly modern and dancable.
Big names, sch as Hamid el-Shaeri, Amr Diab, Natacha Atlas, Dania and the like make some excellent contributions to this CD. Hamid el-Shaeri's song alone is worth buying this CD for, and Natacha Atlas outdoes herself on Kidda. And thats not even getting into the incredibly beautiful remixes of Sawt el-Atlas and Dania.
And, of course, theres also some Algerian Rai music on this CD, though not as much as one would expect. Khaled, the King of Rai himself, presents a excellent track, "Mauvais Sang", which is particularly moving. Theres also a track by Fadela & Sahraoui and a track from Cheb Tarik. However, this CD is very eclectic, and also covers Moroccan pop, Cairo/Arab pop, and styles even further afield.
Over all, this is an excellent CD, and I stongly recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys Arabic or North African music, especially Rai or Cairo pop styles.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For beginners who want to explore Middle Eastern music., April 30, 2005

By 

Seb Jarakian "destroyrockandroll(dot)com" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Arabic Groove (Putumayo Presents) (Audio CD)

Arabic Groove is a great compilation to start you off into the wonderful and exotic world of Middle Eastern infused dance, electronica, downtempo and chill out. Putumayo World Music released this collection back in 2001 but I think it's still quite fresh for someone who recently discovered the intoxicating Middle Eastern beats probably on a Buddha Bar CD or on another similar collection. The cool thing about the CD is that the artists are listed with their respective countries beside them so you can tell what's what and where each artist hails from. The last track by Cheb Tarik called L'histoire is a an awesome disco/rai fusion of a song. Very catchy and great to dance to. It samples an old Kool & The Gang track which I can't quite figure out but it's very fun! Other songs on this CD include Amarain by Amr Diab. A fun tune that has been featured in Buddha Bar and countless other rip offs as well. There's Natacha Atlas from Transglobal Underground a great band from the UK from the early to mid/late '90s singing Kidda. This track is a bit mellow the sensual and entrancing voice of the great Natacha Atlas. Definitely worth checking out her solo releases.

SJ
www.sfphotorama.com

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So FUNky!, June 19, 2001

By 

MELISSA CALDWELL (COLUMBUS, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arabic Groove (Putumayo Presents) (Audio CD)

This is a fun, funky, totally danceable CD. I love it and have had it in my CD player since it arrived. Some of the tunes I was already familiar with, such as Amr Diab's Amarain, and Natacha Atlas' Kidda. There are artists here that are new to me, and I'm looking forward to discovering their releases. My favorite tracks on Arabic Groove are Galbi, which has a driving back beat and a hip hop feel, and Heli Meli, a song that incorporates traditional rhythms and instruments, as well as some traditional sounding backing vocals by female singers.

The packaging is great, with photos, lengthy bios and descriptions of the songs. These things, along with some English translation of the lyrics, help me to decide if a piece is appropriate to bellydance to.

While this CD can skip from one track to the next just like a regular CD, when played straight through, there are no breaks because each song flows into the one following. It's perfect party music, put it in the player and let it go, and the dancing doesn't have to stop.