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Shamstep is a Levantine genre of
Shamstep is a Levantine genre of electronic dance music
Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and List of electronic dance music festivals, festivals. It is generally ...
that combines the traditional forms of Dabke
''Dabke'' ( also spelled ''dabka'', ''dabki'', ''dubki'', ''dabkeh'', plural ''dabkaat'') is a Levantine folk dance, particularly popular among Lebanese, Jordanian, Palestinian, and Syrian communities. Dabke combines circle dance and line da ...
music with electronic instruments. 'Sham' is the Arabic name for the region of Greater Syria
Syria, ( or ''Shaam'') also known as Greater Syria or Syria-Palestine, is a historical region located east of the Mediterranean Sea in West Asia, broadly synonymous with the Levant. The region boundaries have changed throughout history. Howe ...
, Syria-Palestine or the Levant
The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...
. The term 'Shamstep' was coined by the Jordanian-Palestinian band 47Soul to describe their music.
Shamstep has been described as 'more than just a byword for hipsterfied east–west fusion. In 47Soul's home region, it's becoming part of the soundtrack for Arab youth.' The band has stated that it believes the region of Sham is "too divided with borders... In 1947, it was accessible to travel between our little cities... utwe still see he regionas a whole." 47 Soul's music is also defined by its fusion with Afro-American styles of music like Hip Hop and Reggae, due to some similarities between Arabic and African music .
Other musicians who play similar forms of Dabke using electronic instruments include Omar Souleyman
Omar Almasikh (; born 1966), better known by his stage name Omar Souleyman (), is a Syrian singer. He began his career in 1994 singing at weddings and has since released numerous records and performed all over the world. He produces a modernized ...
, and Egyptian groups like Islam Chipsy
Islam Said (Arabic: إسلام سعيد), stage name Islam Chipsy (Arabic: إسلام شيبسي), is an Egyptian musician. His music incorporates elements of traditional Arabic wedding and electronic instruments. Their style is seen as part of a ...
, whose music is seen as part of the Egyptian new wave called Shaabi
Shaabi (, ; ) is an Egyptian musical genre. It is a form of popular working-class music which evolved from Egyptian Baladi in the second half of the 20th century and the core of Egyptian popular music in streets, at weddings, and in everyday ...
or Electro Shaabi. The website Rhythmpassport.com groups all these forms under the heading 'electro Dabke'.
AlAraby has described 47 Soul's music as a "reinterpretation of traditional Arabic instruments, modal scales and rhythms found in ''chobi'' and ''mijwiz'' wedding music - and paralleled in the Egyptian ''electro-shaabi'' scene".
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