natikawayez.bandcamp
Natik Awayez is a Iraq-born, Cairo-based lyricist, composer, and oud player. Manbarani, his new seven track album is a new take on West Asian folk, bringing together multiple renowned musicians from the region including Maurice Louca, Tamer Abu Ghazaleh and Maryam Saleh from the group Lekhfa, Aya Hemeda and Adham Zidane of The Invisible Hands, and many others. The album is a truly collaborative project that brings together some of the most exciting artists from across the region’s music scenes. The album will be released on vinyl by Sublime Frequencies this coming spring.
Awayez left Iraq in 1979 and has spent the years since in between West Asia and Europe, forming multiple projects including The Art Consulate, an independent organization concerned with creating an intellectual dialogue between Europe and West Asia. Leaving Yemen during the ongoing civil war, Awayez moved to Egypt in 2015 and soon began his work on the production of Manbarani, working closely with Maurice Louca as an arranger and producer. The music video for album’s first single, “‘Manbarani” was produced by Mohamed Allam & Mena El Shazly and features grainy, lo-fi aesthetics and swaying, abstract silhouettes.
