Prolific Montreal-bred musician Sam Shalabi indulges his orchestral inclinations under the name Land of Kush these days, and now he's announced his latest album with the ensemble. The Big Mango is out on October 1 through Constellation Records.
The album was created after Shalabi relocated to Cairo in 2011. In a statement, the composer called the new material "a love letter to Cairo." It was partly inspired by Egypt's turbulent political climate and takes its title from a nickname for the city. The album was also influenced by a visit to Dakar, Senegal.
Shalabi returned to Montreal to record with his ensemble at the city's Hotel2Tango studio, with Radwan Ghazi Moumneh behind the boards. The results include free improvisation, female vocals, and what a press release describes as "post-modern psychedelia," with an examination of gender acting as one of the central themes.
Scroll past the tracklist to stream an edit of the two-part "The Pit." The album will be available on CD, 180-gram vinyl or digital download.
The Big Mango:
1. Faint Praise
2. Second Skin
3. The Pit (Part 1)
4. The Pit (Part 2)
5. Sharm El Bango
6. Mobil Nil
7. St Stefano
8. Drift Beguine
9. The Big Mango
The album was created after Shalabi relocated to Cairo in 2011. In a statement, the composer called the new material "a love letter to Cairo." It was partly inspired by Egypt's turbulent political climate and takes its title from a nickname for the city. The album was also influenced by a visit to Dakar, Senegal.
Shalabi returned to Montreal to record with his ensemble at the city's Hotel2Tango studio, with Radwan Ghazi Moumneh behind the boards. The results include free improvisation, female vocals, and what a press release describes as "post-modern psychedelia," with an examination of gender acting as one of the central themes.
Scroll past the tracklist to stream an edit of the two-part "The Pit." The album will be available on CD, 180-gram vinyl or digital download.
The Big Mango:
1. Faint Praise
2. Second Skin
3. The Pit (Part 1)
4. The Pit (Part 2)
5. Sharm El Bango
6. Mobil Nil
7. St Stefano
8. Drift Beguine
9. The Big Mango
