Hearing real music from real people, especially if they happen to live outside of North America or Europe, can be confoundingly tricky. The most significant releases tend to go for the slickest, glossiest sounds, often produced in expensive commercial studios. That lends itself to a certain Putumayo-ification of international music, delivering a polished simulacrum of a people or place. It’s a bit like staying at a fancy resort and claiming that you’ve explored a country to its fullest. At best, you’re missing out on a ton of inspired, interesting music. At worst, you’re left with a distorted view of a culture—one shaped by capital and institutional power.
There’s nothing plastic or inauthentic about Sami Galbi’s debut for the Swiss label Bongo Joe. It’s as earthy as a DIY block party, sweltering with the scent of street vendors and the sound of battery-powered sound machines. Coming from a background in anarchist punk squats, Galbi approaches his unique take on North African folk music and international club pop with revolutionary vigor, leaving you a sweaty, breathless, exhilarated mess by the time it’s all said and done.
Although it’s rooted in real life and a folk sensibility and fired with a punk rock spirit, there is nothing archival or archaic about Ylh Bye Bye. Any of its three-minute bangers would sound as at home in a modern Middle Eastern dance club as it would at a wedding party.
The opener, “L’MJMR”, fizzes and pops with trap drum machines and an arsenal of layered synths, giving it almost a reggae feel, although spun at 1.5x speed. Island riddims continue in “TRANSIT”, with cheap synths spinning Arabic melodies over a thicket of reggaeton beats. “CASAFLEX” performs a similar trick, Arabic maqam on a woozy organ over a steady thumping club beat.
Things slow down ever so slightly after this opening trinity. “WIN” still pulls at the tether, just aching to break away, but a more spacious arrangement and a psychedelic production style make it a bit moodier and more introspective, something a DJ would put in the middle of a set instead of straight out of the gate. “VALISA” pumps the brakes even further, transforming its spiky Middle Eastern drumline rhythms and spoken-sung chant into an eyes-closed, head-down dance floor cocoon.
Things fall apart even further on “KISS”, which is practically minimalist compared to the rest of the record’s club pop standards. Instead of breaking the momentum, it just allows more space to appreciate its deft drum programming and trancey keyboards. Things close out with a bang, though, making Ylh Bye Bye a satisfying album as well as a collection of fantastic songs.
“DAKCHI HANI” is a riot of handclaps and layered rhythms, conjuring a dance party wherever it may manifest. “L’AZRI” is a pop club daydream of hypnotic guitars and warm, chorused vocals that could earn Galbi some listeners among Khruangbin fans. “PATIENCE” drops things down a notch for just one moment, with its skank guitar and gorgeous pop vocal from guest star INES. Finally, things go out on a pyrotechnic note, driving even harder than the rest of the record; beats racing and raging, determined to tear themselves to pieces while the keyboards decimate what little semblance of reserve you may have had left.
YLH Bye Bye is a window into a world unknown to many Westerners. Galbi makes a masterful host, making regional sounds palatable to international ears without sacrificing any local color or flavor. It’s a gorgeous offering, warm, welcoming, and addictively listenable. Ylh Bye Bye is an incredible debut as well as a brilliant introduction to North African music for the uninitiated.