Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Members of popular Bahraini quartet Majaz have been busy during the pandemic, recording and releasing their latest song Shuruppak on Spotify, Youtube, Bandcamp, Anghami and Apple Music, writes Naman Arora.
The five-minute long space-inspired instrumental ditty, which translates to ‘the healing place’ in ancient Sumerian, has been workshopped live and in the studio for the last three years by Jehad Al Hallal on cello, Hameed Al Saeed on guitar, Abdulla Faisal on drums and percussion, Salah Sharakhat on bass with guest contributor, Mohamed Hamada, on Khaleeji percussion.
Abdulla told GulfWeekly: “Shuruppak was one of those songs that came out naturally without the intention of composing it as it is right now, which in my opinion is the most genuine way of composing.
“The first time we performed it was at Spring of Culture 2017, but it was really slow and had a completely different vibe, not Khaleeji at all. But after the new changes added to it, it was performed for the first time in 2Seas Sessions, and then Morocco Visa For Music festival after that.”
The melody flows from a slow tempo onset, ramping up to a fervour before concluding on a soothing subtle note, “embodying the cultural transitions of the Arab world from past to present and well into the future,” according to Hameed.
The artwork for the single’s album cover was done by Zahid Al Balooshi and Mohammed Reyadh.
With the release of this song, the popular band are only two songs away from their second EP, which is anticipated to drop early next year.
“We’ve been trying to make the most out of Covid times and this seemed like the perfect way to channel our energy and focus into producing more while staying active and engaged,” Hameed added.
Salah chimed in: “We are planning to record Saraab (which translates to ‘mirage’) next, once we are done building our home studio, Rihla.
“We’re looking forward to getting back to live performances, but so far there is no word on local gigs. However, most festivals are set to happen next year, as well as our European tour!”
For more details, visit https://majaz.bandcamp.com/
