Thread: Music help- ME-flavored tracks for a fusiony baby belly?

I was asked to perform at a regular night that my teacher and her troupe do once a month. I am admittedly not very well versed in ME music, and all of the music that I am super comfortable with (electronic/industrial/tribal-drum-y) would not be appropriate for this venue. The theme is "Arabian Nights" and I just don't know enough about the music to be able to say "Ah, of course, I will use X track by So-and-so!".
Off of the top of their head, does anyone have any suggestions for songs or artists to explore? I was considering using Gypsy Caravan's "Voodoo Break" but I'm not certain that song is "the one". Please forgive my ignorance; I am still learning a lot every day. :)

honestly, as a "baby-belly" I would encourage you not to do fusion at this point- I'm in the 'you can't fuse what you haven't learned yet' camp, and I think 'fusion' is a term that is often kidnapped to mean 'not really good at what I'm doing, so I'll make excuses & call it fusion'
So- why not challenge yourself? The more you listen to middle eastern music, the better you will understand it & be able to interpret it through dance. I do love Gypsy Caravan & Light Rain & Kairo by Night & other world/American ME bands- and some of them would be appropriate for an Arabian Nights theme, but I can't recall Voodoo Break off the top of my head.
What music DO you have? do you just want a list of Arabic artists that are easy to find on itunes? or a list of classic songs (that list is already running here somewhere!) I counted my CDs last year & you don't even want to know how many are in my library- so I always have a hard time recommending a specific piece for someone I don't know well- there are so many good songs out there, but everyone is drawn to something different.

Of course, you might just want to ask your teacher! She knows how you dance & might have an idea of a song that would 'fit' you.

I agree with Lara - you might want to use some of the songs from the Masters of Bellydance or Masters of Egyptian Bellydance CDs because they have a lot of the classics.

When you say "fusion," do you mean that you want to take two diverse styles and make something new and thought-provoking out of them (a bit ambitious for a beginner), or is "fusion" just what your teacher calls the style she is teaching you (which I'm guessing would probably be a contemporary Rachel-Brice-influenced type of tribal)?

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

When you say "fusion," do you mean that you want to take two diverse styles and make something new and thought-provoking out of them (a bit ambitious for a beginner), or is "fusion" just what your teacher calls the style she is teaching you (which I'm guessing would probably be a contemporary Rachel-Brice-influenced type of tribal)?

When I say "fusion", I mean that I entered this hobby interested in various styles of dance (popping and locking, gothic club, etc) and was interested in eventually learning how to bring those influences into more traditional ME dance. Ultimately that is what I love and do on my own time, but my teacher is not actively guiding me in that direction, although I have taken contemporary tribal classes in the past and enjoyed them.
Thank you to people who suggested using the Masters albums. I've been exploring iTunes for the last few days trying to find some good jumping-off points. I have class tonight and will chat with my teacher a bit about any suggestions that she might have.

Omar Faruk Tekbilek's version of Shashkin (the non-remix) may bring you a bit closer to what you're looking for. It is a traditional tune, but fairly accessible for those who have not yet made a deep connection with ME music.

I guess baby-belly is also a relative term... & I'm sure your teacher will have good suggestions & yes, the Masters albums are a decent starting point for a music collection :)
I also wanted to point out that delving deeper into the roots of any style will help you add depth to a fusion number. Technically, any 'belly dance' I do is a fusion of different styles & influences from different regions & instructors & I find that the more I study the folkloric roots of this dance, the richer my own personal interpretation comes out. It's good to know where you want to end up with fusion, but I would still encourage you to really delve into the Middle Eastern roots a bit- like a study in charcoal in art class, it can help your paintings as well :) Good luck!

There is plenty of Arabic club (disco) music out there, but you may have to look around a while to find something that is interesting enough for a performance. A lot of it is just melody and driving bass/percussion for dancing in nightclubs--and rather difficult to hold an audience's attention with for 4-5 minutes. If you want to go in that direction, I can give you some suggestions, though.

If you're looking for something that has more of an "ambient" feel, check out track 1,5 and 9 of this:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Raks-Zahra-Cairo-Trip-Underground/dp/B00022OF7A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1251238885&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: Raks Zahra: Cairo Trip Hop Underground: Music[/ame]

Very danceable and a nice mix of drums/melody and plenty of hooks to play with.