Ahmed Ben Ali
Subhana
Habibi Funk Records
16 June 2023
In the list of secondary incomes for musicians, being a technical engineer at Benghazi’s international airport is maybe a first. That’s the reality for Libyan reggae artist Ahmed Ben Ali, whose music is finally getting released thanks to Berlin label Habibi Funk. ‘Habibi’ is the Arabic word for ‘darling’, and the company’s passion is to reissue mostly North African musical treasures.
Ben Ali was born in Benghazi in 1965 and later spent time in Canada, London and Jamaica, all of which informed his love for reggae. Returning home in 2003, he set up a studio and released cassettes of his own work while producing for others. After the Gaddafi regime was overthrown, Libyan musicians became a target for Islamic fundamentalists as the country’s politics and security grew ever more unstable. All of which makes Subhana a cause for celebration, not least for shining the spotlight on a very fine songwriter.
Thanks to Bob Marley’s influence, reggae has been popular in Libya since the 1970s. With a sizable distance between inhabited areas, there’s also a diversity in Libya’s regional music. Ancient sounds from Tripoli have found favour with a young audience in a country caught between Arabic, Bedouin, Mediterranean and Black African cultures. It’s clear Ben Ali has absorbed all these elements, and we get a sense of someone writing songs for pure pleasure.
Opening cut Ya Rait is tailor-made for a sound system where its lusty bass can be felt deeply. Ben Ali’s charismatic voice is defiant and a rough translation of the title track finds him singing, “How glorious, I’m gone from you and you’re gone from me/ After our love flamed up I forgot about you and you forgot about me.” Using two choppy chords (G and C minors) plus a smashing chorus, Ben Ali adds the measured bounce of Libya’s reggae-like folkloric rhythms. Ya Ghalian then brings a jerky offbeat and bursts of tuneful rap, finding a musicality within the spoken word.
Next up, Damek Majeb is perhaps the most gripping snapshot of Amhed’s approach. Darksome synths conjure storms and enemies gathering as a jivey accordion ripples in counterpoint. In comes a zukra (Libyan bagpipe) to blow mystic winds over the song’s sweltering shores. Ben Ali’s yelps of fervour cry out (in translation), “My eyes, your tears didn’t make my love go back to me.” DJ Shadow and other top samplers should be salivating over this cut.
Emotions are treated with reverence throughout as Ben Ali perceives the divine in heartache. La Ta‵ Tather evokes a sensual rocking together of bodies, on which the singer veers into English: “Sorry, don’t come and tell me that you’re sorry/I won’t accept your apology.” There’s a catchy call-response on Ya Ghayeb where the refrain is purified with cleansing woodwind. Dubby vocal treatments on Ghali are backed by synthetic brass as the rhythm goes into gay abandon, for Ben Ali’s tempos are rarely metronomic. Ya Ta‵ Ebha and Ana Middaee offer a darkly clubby vibe, a languorous recline, just ripe for puffing shisha late at night. Ending on a romantic high, Aziz W Adda feels like a beach party invite as the delicious melody goes surfing on jaunty beats.
Africanism and concepts of repatriation have long been central to Rastafari theology. It’s this sense of connectedness from the diaspora to the ‘motherland’ that makes Subhana such a triumph. An ocean of sensations, Ben Ali’s long-awaited collection radiates energy, peace and spiritual love.
Bandcamp (DL/CD/Vinyl – including Ltd Edition Colour Vinyl)