Habibi Funk Records is a
reissue
In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions.
Reasons for reissue
New audio formats
Reco ...
record label
"Big Three" music labels
A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
based in
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
dedicated to music from the
Arab world
The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...
.
It was co-founded by
Jannis Stürtz, who also works as a DJ using the name Habibi Funk.
The label is mostly known for its albums and accompanying booklets of Arabic funk and soul bands from the 1960-80s.
History
Jannis Stürtz first became interested in the music of the region while visiting
Casablanca
Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...
,
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
in 2012.
Habibi Funk's first release was ''al-Zman Saib'' (), a 1970s reinterpretation of British rock group
Free's song "
All Right Now" by a Moroccan group called
Fadaul et les Privileges ().
Habibi Funk has re-released an expansive collection of Arabic funk and soul bands from the 1960-80s, including
compilations. Apart from these, there are albums featuring a specific band, like Sudanese funk musician
Kamal Keila, the "King of Sudanese Jazz",
Sharhabil Ahmed or
The Scorpions and Saif Abu Bakr, as well as North African musicians such as
Al Massrieen,
Ahmed Malek,
Raze de Soare,
Mallek Mohamed, and
Hamid El Shaeri.
Editor's attitude towards post-colonialism in the music business
Jannis Stürtz claims to have awareness of the political aspects of the label's work, addressing "the context of post-colonialism" and avoiding
orientalist "stereotypical visual language."
He also added that Habibi Funk Records licenses the music it reissues directly from the artists or their families, who get a 50% cut of the profits.
In an interview with
The Vinyl Factory
The Vinyl Factory is a music company based in London. It includes a record label, vinyl pressing plant, and a venue space. It also publishes ''Fact'' magazine and owns Phonica Records store.
Overview
The Vinyl Factory began as a pressing plan ...
, Stürtz commented: "If you’re a European or Western label and you’re dealing with non-European artists’ music, there’s obviously a special responsibility to make sure you don’t reproduce historic economic patterns of exploitation, which is the number one thing when it comes to the post-colonial aspect of what we are doing."
Discography
Adapted from the label's website.
Music recorded at an earlier date but previously unreleased is denoted with "archival".
See also
*
Music of Sudan
*
Music of Morocco
Moroccan music varies greatly between geographic regions and social groups. It is influenced by musical styles including Arabic music, Arab, Berber music, Berber, Andalusian classical music, Andalusi, History of the Mediterranean region, Mediterr ...
References
External links
Official webpage
{{Authority control
German independent record labels
World music record labels