Super review by Cal Gibson, of The Secret Soul Society.

It was almost four years ago that Moataz Rageb (Disco Arabesquo) put together the first Sharayet El Disco compilation of Egyptian disco cassette bangers: time flies when the world burns, right? Great to report then that the second volume is every bit as life-affirming as the first, chock full as it is of smiley, shimmery, sinuous twisters and shouters. It’s a joyful concoction, a cross-cultural pot-pourri of dancefloor abandon. Everywhere you look there’s basslines percolating and percussion pirouetting: it’s a whole heap of fun.

The quality level is uniformly high so picking favourites is tricky but Hamid El Shaeri‘s Ouda is an exquisitely textured mellow romp, powered by acoustic guitar strum and yearning vocal runs: it’s a softcore killer, an end of night torch song for the dispossessed. A gentle swing through all our yesterdays, sweet, soulful and essential listening.

Mostafa El Saka‘s Rezq El Ein is a bass heavy roller, a mid-tempo shuffler that unfolds surely into a sensuous strutting groove, flecked with pop sensibilities and unafraid to take its time in getting down. Arabic instrumentation welded to the groove, a perfect fit unfurled by musicians having fun, blowing off steam and letting fly. There’s a warmth to the vibe that’s palpable all these years later: music as a healing force for good.

Aida El Ayoubi‘s Asfour is heartbreakingly lovely: a gentle waltz into your heart, a poultice for a world gone astray. A voice of pure soul wanders and loses itself within the rhythm, searching and seeking something beyond the everyday, sniffing out those immutable truths that music provides: the escape from the norm that keeps us digging out those elusive beats and pieces. Wonderful.

Firkit Hany Shenoda‘s Lounga 85 flings itself around the room with a joyful ‘uncle at a wedding’ feel: vocal pads swooning and swooping over the keys, the bass working hard, the riffs tumbling and repeating, tumbling and repeating; trance dance of the truest kind. The musicianship tight and binding, rolling and fleet-footed. Another sure-fire banger.

So four years on, then: we’re all four years older, none the wiser, still scratching around trying to work out what the hell it’s all about. Ayam El Disco may not have any answers for the eternal quest but it’s one hell of a firing soundtrack to the beat-led conundrum of life. Stick it on and you’ll still be puzzled by the madness: but you’ll be dancing and smiling too. A perfect follow-up to the original collection: you’re going to love this one.

AYAM EL DISCO – EGYPTIAN DISCO, BOOGIE & JEEL CASSETTES 1978 -92 can be ordered directly from  WEWANTSOUNDS.