Hamid El Shaeri, star of Habibi Funk’s ‘An Eclectic Selection of Music from the Arab World’ thanks to his ‘Ayhona’ gem, is subject of a hearty retrospective of the years before he became an Arab music superstar.

Hamid’s distinct sound of the sound is quintessentially reliant on heavy synths and so it was particularly important to purchase these synths in a timely manner. “Whenever a new one synthesizer would come out, we would have to buy it immediately, otherwise someone else would get their hands on that sound.”

London also played an important role for Hamid as a musical epicenter. He fondly reminisces about the many live shows he attended there, including some of the biggest international musicians like Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson. After returning to Cairo where he also recorded his following albums, he connected with SLAM! for the release of his debut, laying the foundation of a collaboration that lasted for 5 albums.

First time on vinyl, this compilation comes with a booklet with an interview with Hamid as well as unseen photos.

Original pressing from 2022 is still sealed.