A profound masterpiece of contemporary oud music. Aly Eissa, an oud player and composer based in Cairo, Egypt, has garnered attention for his releases on *Sublime Frequencies* as a member of *The Handover*. Following his solo debut on the French label *Akuphone*—which specializes in discovering and reissuing music from around the world, including Asia, the Middle East, and artists such as Chiemi Eri and Kink Gong—this is his second physical album, released on the Norwegian label *Motvind*.
A 2026 album by oud player Aly Eissa, who has forged his own unique style by combining the traditional techniques of classical music—which he absorbed while studying under legendary masters of the Egyptian music scene—with intricate original compositions rooted in various forms of folk music. Featuring the essence of religious chanting in the background, the album includes the lengthy, two-part title track—which paints a rich musical world using only the oud—as well as the 12〜 13th-century Arab poet Baha' al-din Zuhayr. The subtle fluctuations in pitch and the melodies of the strings, which seem to alter one’s very sense of time, are dizzying. This is cutting-edge oud music that is constantly evolving, yet exudes a classical elegance.
(Original Japanese text by Adachi)
A 2026 album by oud player Aly Eissa, who has forged his own unique style by combining the traditional techniques of classical music—which he absorbed while studying under legendary masters of the Egyptian music scene—with intricate original compositions rooted in various forms of folk music. Featuring the essence of religious chanting in the background, the album includes the lengthy, two-part title track—which paints a rich musical world using only the oud—as well as the 12〜 13th-century Arab poet Baha' al-din Zuhayr. The subtle fluctuations in pitch and the melodies of the strings, which seem to alter one’s very sense of time, are dizzying. This is cutting-edge oud music that is constantly evolving, yet exudes a classical elegance. (Original Japanese text by Adachi)