Tarek Atoui

Visiting Tarab

“Tarab” is a word used in Arab culture to describe the emotional effect of music. It also refers specifically to an older repertoire, rooted in the pre-World War 1 musical practice of Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean Arab world, which was itself frequently linked to emotion. For Visiting Tarab, Paris-based artist Tarek Atoui has commissioned ten musicians and sound artists from different practices and geographical areas to revisit the largest and most extensive collection of Classical Arab music in the world. This private collection, owned by Lebanese collector Kamal Kassar, is constituted of old 78 rpm shellac discs and studio tapes of music from 1903-1950. Coming from a variety of musical traditions including pop, hip-hop, electronic, contemporary, and improvisation, this group of artists—all of whom are known for their live performances and for sampling and re-appropriation techniques—have been invited to use this remarkable library as raw material for original performances.

At their one-night-only performance in Performa 11, the music will be continuous, following a meticulous build-up of energies, intensities, and textures inspired by the structure and rules of Tarab, in which the performance space is a space of enchantment and ecstasy. Along with Atoui, participating artists and musicians include DJ Spooky, Jonathan Butcher, Uriel Barthelemi, Anti-Pop Consortium, Lukas Ligeti, Robert Lowe, Raz Mesinai, Phantom Orchard (Zeena Parkins + Ikue Mori + Sara Parkins), Elliott Sharp, and Yasmine Hamdan.