Bouhrizi, Badiaa: KahruMusiqa LP

KahruMusiqa is a musical retrospective by Tunisian singer and composer Badiâa Bouhrizi AKA Neysatu. She is known as the author behind the protest songs that became the anthems of the Tunisian revolution. Songlines Magazine elected Badiâa as the best artist for 2024. "KahruMusiqa" means "electronic music," but is never used as such in Arabic to name the genre. The record is a collection of sonic experimentations that started when Badiâa first got her hands on music production software in the 2000s. The tracks are based around poems in classical Arabic language or Tunisian dialect written by Badiâa herself or female poets she admires, such as Palestinian authors Fadwa Tuqan or Salma Al Jayusi, or the Tunisian poet Noureddine Werghi. Most of the vocal work features improvisations recorded with a computer microphone. A take on the classic Turkish folk song "Muhabbat" is almost a modern harmonic rewriting, using only classical guitar, vocals and delays. KahruMusiqa's themes are in line with Badiâa Bouhrizi's ideological trajectory. She is a woman in the moving sands of Tunesia in the song "Transrimel." She also questions the political contract that led to Balfour and the displacement of millions of Palestinians in 1948, describing a journey between London and Nablus, in "Fil Madinatil harima" ("In The Old City"). This lo-fi bedroom album (the first ever record Badiâa Bouhrizi was willing to release) also displays several songs that have become classics of the Arab underground milieu like "Ila Selma."