Songs of a Dumb World

2009 release. Sulaymaniyah is part of Staalplaat's ongoing Muslimgauze archive series. The masters were originally submitted in 1997, then "replaced" by what became Vampire of Tehran, released early in 1998. It was not uncommon for the prolific Bryn Jones to replace masters with what he believed to be a more fit release. Short of two tracks, "Fez Tishan" and "Hamas Pulse of Revenge," this is Vampire of Tehran with nine additional, previously unreleased tracks. Because Sulaymaniyah was "replaced," it was stored in Staalplaat's vaults until it's first CD release in 2009, a decade after Jones's passing in 1999, and it will take several more years before Staalplaat has completely caught up with additional "replaced" and unreleased masters. Sulaymaniyah is stylistically varied, with ethno-electro, ethno-breakbeat, and several dub cuts. Ethno-electro/breaks are analogous to urban dance/hip hop, with catchy, distortion-ridden breaks and heavily edited ethnic music, cut up and reassembled into Frankenstein hybrids, sometimes further complicated with dub elements. Wanton mixtures of styles are one of many defining qualities of Muslimgauze music. Like "replaced" masters, versions of tracks such as "Arabs Improved Zpain" and "Arabs Return Zpain" demonstrate Jones's near obsessive search for the right sound. For those who appreciate the later rhythmic ethno-breaks and dub phase of Muslimgauze circa Tandoori Dog, Sulaymaniyah is a must-have. Limited edition of 500.