Help with music suggestions for themed party please!

[BrightLights]

Hi,

I have a customer whose party will have a Moroccan / Arabian theme. During the early evening she's asked me to play themed background music, and there will also be bellydancers there (probably providing their own music).

I don't know much about those styles of music, and have told the customer so. I said I'll do some research and buy a few CDs as necessary so I'm fairly comfortable with the early evening section, having seen a few promising looking CDs available (although any suggestions would still be most welcome!)

The part I really need help with is that when the proper disco starts up she'd like to me mix in a few tracks to "have some resonance with the theme". The example she gave was "Walk like an Egyptian", which at least mentions roughly the right part of the world!

Can anyone think of any other tracks that have some (vague) relevance to the Moroccan / Arabian theme, that would be usable at a disco? I'm not looking to fill the whole night with them - just a few tracks to be played here and there to keep some relevance to the theme of the party.

Any ideas gratefully received!

Thanks,
Steve

[Corabar Steve]

Some of these may be of more help (or more serious) than others:

Siouxsie & the Banshees - Arabian knights
Mighty Dub Katz - Magic carpet ride
Jonathan Richmond - Egyptian reggae
the Cure - Killing an arab
Tommy Dorsey / Fats Domino / Django Reinhardt / Spike Jones - the Shiek of Araby
Ray Stevens - Ahab the Arab
Aladin Soundtrack - Arabian nights
the CRS Players - Sand dance (nothing to do with Clive as far as I know )

[CRAZY K]

Hi,

I have a customer whose party will have a Moroccan / Arabian theme. During the early evening she's asked me to play themed background music, and there will also be bellydancers there (probably providing their own music).

I don't know much about those styles of music, and have told the customer so. I said I'll do some research and buy a few CDs as necessary so I'm fairly comfortable with the early evening section, having seen a few promising looking CDs available (although any suggestions would still be most welcome!)

The part I really need help with is that when the proper disco starts up she'd like to me mix in a few tracks to "have some resonance with the theme". The example she gave was "Walk like an Egyptian", which at least mentions roughly the right part of the world!

Can anyone think of any other tracks that have some (vague) relevance to the Moroccan / Arabian theme, that would be usable at a disco? I'm not looking to fill the whole night with them - just a few tracks to be played here and there to keep some relevance to the theme of the party.

Any ideas gratefully received!

Thanks,
Steve

I have been to Morocco and Egypt ( 3 times ) in the last few years.

When I was in Egypt in November we heard some music on the bus radio which was sort of Arabian music meets Disco and it was absolutely brilliant dancing music--so good I asked the driver to turn up the volume.

Im not sure how you would source that latest music though

Apart from Steves helpful suggestions theres not a lot really--

Definitely confirm your not supplying Belly dancing Music

CRAZY K

[BrightLights]

Some of these may be of more help (or more serious) than others:

Siouxsie & the Banshees - Arabian knights
Mighty Dub Katz - Magic carpet ride
Jonathan Richmond - Egyptian reggae
the Cure - Killing an arab
Tommy Dorsey / Fats Domino / Django Reinhardt / Spike Jones - the Shiek of Araby
Ray Stevens - Ahab the Arab
Aladin Soundtrack - Arabian nights
the CRS Players - Sand dance (nothing to do with Clive as far as I know )

Fantastic, thanks Steve. Exactly the sort of thing I was after.

[BrightLights]

When I was in Egypt in November we heard some music on the bus radio which was sort of Arabian music meets Disco and it was absolutely brilliant dancing music--so good I asked the driver to turn up the volume.

I've seen a couple of CDs on Amazon that claim to have some clubby/dancy Arabian stuff on them. I haven't heard them but they had some positive reviews.

Definitely confirm your not supplying Belly dancing Music

Yeah, I'd be well and truly out of my depth there! Although if it comes to it there's always The Beginner's Guide to Bellydance!

[rob1963]

Jones girls - Nights over Egypt?

[MickyP]

Jones girls - Nights over Egypt?

Nice one Rob! Thats a cracking tune!

Fits the bill for this perfectly, as well.

MP

[PropellerHeadCase]

Shakira 'Whenever, Wherever' (Hammad Belly Dance Mix)
Holly Valance 'Kiss, Kiss'
Paula Abdul 'My Love is for Real'
Enigma 'The Eyes of Truth' (which samples 'Ziggurats of Cinnamon', if I recall correctly, from 'Songs from The Victorious City' by Ann Dudley (Art of Noise) and Jaz Coleman (Killing Joke) )

Anything by Natacha Atlas
Ofra Haza - especially 'Im Nin Alu' which was sampled heavily in...
Erik B & Rakim 'Paid in Full' (Coldcut's 7 minutes of Madness Mix) (Hip-Hop)

Jez and Choopie 'Yim' (Clubby Dance)
Jean Michelle Jarre 'C'Est La Vie, ft. Natacha Atlas' (Ambient & remixed dance)

There's also a series of CDs called 'Arabica' which have nice ambient/trip-hop stuff with a heavy Arabian influence (sounds similar to Stephane Pompougnac's Cafe Costes series).

Finally, and potentially most genuine, the Putumayo label (world music) has a CD:
North African Groove
"Join the funky musical caravan from Morocco to Egypt for a non-stop celebration of North African dance music."

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Holly Valance 'Kiss, Kiss'

I thought the original by Tarkan - Simarik was Turkish?

[PropellerHeadCase]

Yep, but fortunately they belly dance there, too, and that's what the music is based on.


Also...

Steppewolf 'Magic Carpet Ride'