Arabic Music - Sounds of the Desert

For quite some time, well, ever since I played MTW, I have enjoyed listening to the melodies of the Arabic manner of music. I myself are ignorant of any people who manufacture or reinvent these Arabic tunes, but I would like to download some or even buy myself a CD or two. I'm basiclaly looking for music that is simular to what you'd find in MTW and MTW II, not to mention other mods that have made their own music. As a genre, I'm looking to find myself some Arabic music, with the string instruments, and a little wind and percussion... Some stuff more mellow, whilst some a little more.... 'Militaristic' if I may used the term, and just with a little of the chanting, I don't mind it in moderation, however I can find it overbearing...


So, can anyone help me at all?


Anything from the Middle-East or North Africa would be great.....

Originally Posted by Shadow_Imperator

For quite some time, well, ever since I played MTW, I have enjoyed listening to the melodies of the Arabic manner of music. I myself are ignorant of any people who manufacture or reinvent these Arabic tunes, but I would like to download some or even buy myself a CD or two. I'm basiclaly looking for music that is simular to what you'd find in MTW and MTW II, not to mention other mods that have made their own music. As a genre, I'm looking to find myself some Arabic music, with the string instruments, and a little wind and percussion... Some stuff more mellow, whilst some a little more.... 'Militaristic' if I may used the term, and just with a little of the chanting, I don't mind it in moderation, however I can find it overbearing...


So, can anyone help me at all?


Anything from the Middle-East or North Africa would be great.....

You know I've been interested in the exact same thing for the last month or so, I dont know why. I've searched around the net trying to find stuff that fits your description and I cant find anything. So I really hope someone can provide us with a link or some more information on how to find some.

Yeah, I've sort of been on and off since the MTW days but I'm really interested again... I sure do hope someone will be nice enough to provide some links or something...

Hey there, I was actually really interested in this style of music as well, for a time, but was never able to really find anything...
Arabic and Oriental music...every now and then I just get a craving for.

Check this out though, probably wont be too interested but this is the Black Hawk Down soundtrack, put together by none other than the great Hans Zimmer. BLACKHAWK DOWN. Listen to the song Barra Barra, it is so cool. That is definately a good soundtrack..but I dont think it really fits.

Something I would reccommend is anything by Afro Celt Soundsystem...I love them and usually listen to it in the background if playing anything with a fantasy setting, including RTW. But again, I dont think that it really fits, its more celtic...as you could probably guess.

However, after searching on Amazon, this may interest you. DESERT ROSES AND ARABIAN RHYTHMS, Vol. 1. Listen to the samples, some songs I actually really like...in fact, I might pick this up some time. Songs like, Mon Amie La Rose, La Valse, Aalach Tloumouni, Chie Begam, Hay Wadi Hay Galbi, and Pomegranate (especially this one), I like a lot.

Pomegranate is by a group called Trans-global Underground, and they arent bad, they're a lot like Afro Celt Soundsystem, only more techno-ish. Some of their stuff really isnt bad either, check it out too, see if you're interested.

Meh, it ain't bad, but I'm looking for the real traditional stuff, much like you'd hear a Bedouin or a Berber listen to.

I'm a real big fan of this genre, and have a lot to suggest, though I am rather limited in terms of totally 'accurate' music (Much of mine is mixtures, being contemporary takes on period music of the near east).

First of all, The soundtrack to the Passion of the Christ is a must. It is not bedouin, but does carry a very strong and very majestic middle eastern theme in it. It's profoundly powerful, and really should be gotten.

Arcana - Le Serpent Rouge - One of my favorite albums, it should be exactly what you are looking for. Arcana normally has done medieval inspired music, but this and their song Wing's of Gabriel (Not featured on the album) are a perfect step into the near east, and conjure up the images vividly.

Bear in mind that it is also not truly what you would have heard a bedouin listen to a thousand years ago.

Suleyman the Magnificient - Once again, orchestral contemporary spin on a classic beat and theme. Still very good.

Neynava/Song of Compassion - Probably the most classic of my albums, it's a persian conductor, and while not really bedouin nor the stereotypical melody of the near east, it stands up strongly as its own, presumably Persian, beat and theme.

Look up Vas in Amazon. They are a contemporary band, but are firmly rooted in a classical origin (This isn't pop, or some sort of mixture of modern genre and classical. it's simply not just the instruments of the past, but uses some modern technologies). It's similiar to Arcana, but stronger on vocals, and is really good.

Niyaz - This is definately the most contemporary or non classical of the list here. It's a very good mixture of past and present, but may not be what you are looking for.


What I would suggest is doing what I did, and when you have time and are bored, go onto Amazon and browse their middle eastern album sections..one by one. :original:


Caravanserai - I'm a big fan of Burhan Ocal, although I only have four of his songs I got from a pay-for-individual-songs website. This is one of the more classical things he's done.

These are three random ones I had on my wish list on amazon. You'll have to listen to them quite a few times to make sure the beat in it is what You want. From time to time I'll buy an album I was unsure on, and find it wasn't really to my liking. Thats why it can also be good to listen to the demos of it on Itunes, or other sites, since they take from different parts of it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=1H5Y5VY1GA4S8
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=1H5Y5VY1GA4S8

Please be sure to mention if you find any really excellent albums. I'm still in the search for any new middle eastern music I can get.

thanks ahiga
wish rep system was on

and any idea about celtic music {im not sure what that gnere is called }like we have in brave hart,king arthur

Originally Posted by vikrant1986

and any idea about celtic music

Most of the Celtic tunes still played today originate from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany in France, and Gallaecia in Spain. Though they use different accents and differ in the use of the western diatonic scales, ie: Irish melodic runs tend to end ascending whilst Scots tend to descend to the resolution, they follow similar basic rhythmic styles. Essentially the most common are jig time using 3/4 and reels using 4/4. Other rhythmic styles include airs, slip jigs, hornpipes, and the odd polka in 2/4. Dance tunes are generally a lot quicker and many tunes like the Scots "Tam Lynn" date back 400 years. Many tunes such as the Irish Old Hag tunes, of which there are hundreds, are modally based like a lot of Blues tunes. Many tunes have different names in different counties and sometimes even in the next town.

My favourite was Da Dannan but any band involving Donnal Lunny is about the best you can get as he has played with everyone at some point. You could also check out the documentary "Bringing It Back Home" which covers the movement of Irish music across the world. It has with out doubt some of the best Appalachian music I have personnally ever heard with some brilliant Citern (a double length mandolin) playing that just blew me away. Failing this find the nearest Irish pub and have a beer and listen when they have their next local session. Basically anyone can turn up with an instrument and if you have any understanding of the musical form you can fluff it. If they like what your playing in the context of the tune they'll place a guinness at your feet without saying a word.

If someone says "You took the music from under the dancers feet." it's probably best to put your instrument down for the rest of the night and just enjoy what everyone else is doing.

Edit: I forgot to mention this mad Gallaecian piper, whose names slips my failing old memory at present. Plays WOMAD in Adelaide every year on the same day as the Afro Celtic Sound System so it might also pay to check out Peter Gabriels WOMAD site.

Shadow_Imperator I've just also noticed that your an Aussie, though obviously torn in two by the World Cup round of sixteen, so if you really are keen and in Sydney you could try going to the Carlisle Castle in Newtown as it had the best session in Sydney 10 years ago, or the "Three Weeds", the top pub in The Rocks, and failing that go to the plastic Irish pub Kitty O"Shea's. Best places to buy Arabic and Turkish music are the smaller music shops in Lakemba, ask the shop assistants for advice as they usually very helpful and let you listen to a few tunes.

if you can find something by Sayed Halil Ali Nejad, get it. it's iranian musician who plays tanbur etc and has very good songs based on lyrics by Hafez, Moulana and such. really good stuff. for turkish music try the oldest military orchestra in the world - Mehter! i have couple of tapes (yes tapes!) with turkish music called bol darbukali, bol davulu and so on. Ibrahim Tatlises has some good alevi songs as well...

Hey just to tell some of you guys that are interested, some of the 'Kingdom of Heaven' sountrack is good, though the Islamic/Arabic 'chords' are no where near long enough, and the good parts of these tracks are oh so short, but worth listening too.

I wonder, are there any modern artists/musicians that replicate the old style Bedouin/Berber music, and on that note, did the Mamlukes also listen to simular music?

Well I'm from Perth, on the west coast. However, we have a great store in the city called '78 Records' which I noticed has a lot of cultural music...

Originally Posted by Shadow_Imperator

For quite some time, well, ever since I played MTW, I have enjoyed listening to the melodies of the Arabic manner of music. I myself are ignorant of any people who manufacture or reinvent these Arabic tunes, but I would like to download some or even buy myself a CD or two.

I remember being on that same quest once,I also started with Burhan Ocal (bought Caravanserai and Gypsy Rum), but it's actually Gypsy music,not my cup of tea and nowhere near MTW-like music.
I'd recommend http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_v/...music+of+Islam
Though of course the world of Islam is rather large, so is the variety of music (maybe you want to pm me).

The closest I ever came to MTW-esque music though, was an old tape with music for belly dancing a former gf tried out, but I don't have the tape anymore (nor the gf).

As for celtic music, if you're looking for the whiny King Arthur/Gladiator style, try Enya or the band she was in once,Clannad.

You said the world of Islam was large...

Anything Persian, Egyptian and anything that would encompass what a tratitional bedouin or berber would find themselves listening to. A couple of things I may emphasise, I'm looking for stuff that is both spiritual, and other which is more 'militaristic', with the heavy percussion and brass instruments. That is, in a nutshell, what I'm trying to find...

First thing that popped into my head was the wonderful soundtrack Maurice Jarre composed for Lawrence of Arabia, which of course begins with the heavy percussion. Amidst both violently savage and mysterious passages, you find some British marches and of course the theme for Lawrence himself.

Hopefully you've seen the film?