The Arabic folk pop of the Berlin all-star band looks towards the East.
The band Oum Shatt deserves the credit for bringing a touch of the musical Arab Spring to Berlin. Seven years ago, the group around the scene-famous gentlemen Jonas Poppe (formerly Kissogramm) and Chris Imler (The Doors, Jens Friebe) debuted with a fresh mix of surf guitars, indie rock, languid pop and, above all, Arabic harmonies.
They continue this on the second album OPT OUT: A soft love song with offbeat guitars and Dick Dale elements (“Love The Way She Stands”) stands next to a track influenced by Turkish folk (“Over The World And Out”). , then swinging songs with polyrhythmic percussion, string sounds and elegiac, smooth singing (“Of To St. Pete”, “Play”) are heard.
There is also a subtle and absurd humor in the lyrics, which can be seen in verses like “You know that things are meaningless / but that doesn’t mean a thing” or “I would have quit my job, if I ever had one”. Anyone who likes to explore the Middle East musically has come to the right place with these four old boys from Berlin.