Thread: looking for upbeat/happy cabaret songs

i am sick and tired of my current music selection and need some ideas for a gig i have next week. it's at an americanized middle eastern restaurant...they like happy/upbeat cabaret music (picture the typical american bellydancer in a fringey bedlah look)

the crowd is all american...i have used the song awi awi by gamal goma too much, and need something similar to that...or anything! i'm open to suggestions.

what are your favorites?

I just got the Magic of John Bilezikjian and there are some nice upbeat songs on there, mostly in Turkish.

Originally Posted by shaabichic

i am sick and tired of my current music selection and need some ideas for a gig i have next week. it's at an americanized middle eastern restaurant...they like happy/upbeat cabaret music (picture the typical american bellydancer in a fringey bedlah look)

the crowd is all american...i have used the song awi awi by gamal goma too much, and need something similar to that...or anything! i'm open to suggestions.

what are your favorites?

How about a Greek/Arabic mix -Eleos by Amar Diab/Angela Dimitriou

And in keeping with the Greek/Arabic theme, Ta Mavra Matia Sou is always a favorite:

I have a cd by Tamer Hosny that I call my happy cd.

here is the first track

I've had lots of luck using "Gawaher" from Dr. Samy Farag's Midnight Magic CD. It's a 15-minute routine, which you can edit in several different ways. It does include a killer 5-minute drum solo, so be warned, LOL.

thanks for the suggestions! i like more arabic sounding songs, though.
i forgot about arrab habibi and gawaher...hmmmm

keep the suggestions coming :)

Oh! I've also had really good reactions from some of the tracks from Hossam Ramzy's Ruby CD. I use "Diamond in the Rough" most often, but there are lots of other nice cuts.

Layalina is another good, upbeat track (though I can't stand it personally).

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

I've had lots of luck using "Gawaher" from Dr. Samy Farag's Midnight Magic CD. It's a 15-minute routine, which you can edit in several different ways. It does include a killer 5-minute drum solo, so be warned, LOL.

That's always been my standby for American audiences. It is a killer routine though.

this might not be your taste but I "rediscovered" it in a drawer and have been listening to it all the time. awesome sax song - El sama billeye #2

other fun songs are 3, 5, 7 and 8 oh heck they are all fun

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1060116

Do you like Sheek Shak Shook? (Shik shak shok, etc); lots of versions around.

You probably know this stuff already - but if not -

if you like the old stuff, Eddie "The Sheik" Kochak and George Abdo both have some great stuff. You can sample and download individual pieces on Amazon, and you could put together an awesome routine.

Ditto Feenjon Group.

If you are looking for more modern stuff - if you don't already have these, there are a group of albums called "Desert Rose," Sting even performs on one number.

BDSS have some stuff that rocks, of course everybody knows this I am sure:) and also Natasha Atlas.

Originally Posted by shaabichic

thanks for the suggestions! i like more arabic sounding songs, though.
i forgot about arrab habibi and gawaher...hmmmm

keep the suggestions coming :)

Nothing wrong with that. It is what I prefer myself. However, I always had the luxury of working with live bands so they chose the music for me. Just remember, to consider the audience taste above and beyond your own personal preference.

It just seemed to me that with a pre-dominately American audience, you should choose songs that are pleasing to the American ear. Frankly, the song in your OP grated on my ear. I couldn't stand it. And I LOVE ME music.

It's very important for dancers to remember who their audience is. That is who we are dancing for. In the words of Simon Cowell, "This is not the time to be indulgent" and dance to songs we like but may not be the songs are audience want to hear.

Originally Posted by LiesaB.

Do you like Sheek Shak Shook? (Shik shak shok, etc); lots of versions around.

Many dancers HATE this song but it is always a favorite with American audiences.

Originally Posted by norma

Nothing wrong with that. It is what I prefer myself. However, I always had the luxury of working with live bands so they chose the music for me. Just remember, to consider the audience taste above and beyond your own personal preference.

It just seemed to me that with a pre-dominately American audience, you should choose songs that are pleasing to the American ear. Frankly, the song in your OP grated on my ear. I couldn't stand it. And I LOVE ME music.

It's very important for dancers to remember who their audience is. That is who we are dancing for. In the words of Simon Cowell, "This is not the time to be indulgent" and dance to songs we like but may not be the songs are audience want to hear.

lol oh nooo. awi awi was my go to song for a while there it makes me happy and i feel like bouncing around lol. but i can see where it can get annoying.
this place has like all my music choices so far...so i want to keep them happy.

i found dr samy farag's ya amar cd to be pretty good. nice songs with level changes (love level changes). i might try using one of those songs.

i wish i could dance to a live band! one of these days...
thanks for the suggestions

Originally Posted by norma

Many dancers HATE this song but it is always a favorite with American audiences.

(Sheek shak shok)
? Not in my neck of the woods, I'm not aware of that at any rate (East coast, NY)...Just curious, why? Do you hate it? I respect your opinion a great deal. :-)
My Middle Eastern audiences seem to get very happy with it too.

Originally Posted by LiesaB.

(Sheek shak shok)
? Not in my neck of the woods, I'm not aware of that at any rate (East coast, NY)...Just curious, why? Do you hate it? I respect your opinion a great deal. :-)
My Middle Eastern audiences seem to get very happy with it too.

I personally don't hate it. I LOVE it! I'm just saying many dancers don't like it because they think it is cliche or cheesecake. I don't know why. But I can tell you,
Egyptian and Chaldean audiences love the song! I remember a few years ago, this Egyptian guy auditioned me to teach in his studio. The song he picked was Shik Shak Shok. I picked Neptidi Mneim El Hikaya which is what I ended up auditioning with. But that goes to show you that what we think they like isn't what they want.

So my point is, you need to know your audience.

Edit: My dance teacher, who was Syrian, did hate this song. But she was really into classical, heavy music, like Oum Kalsoum and Abdel Halim and Farid El Atrache. She was a dancer from them 50's and 60's so that makes perfect sense.

Originally Posted by norma

I personally don't hate it. I LOVE it! I'm just saying many dancers don't like it because they think it is cliche or cheesecake. I don't know why. But I can tell you,
Egyptian and Chaldean audiences love the song! I remember a few years ago, this Egyptian guy auditioned me to teach in his studio. The song he picked was Shik Shak Shok. I picked Neptidi Mneim El Hikaya which is what I ended up auditioning with. But that goes to show you that what we think they like isn't what they want.

So my point is, you need to know your audience.

Edit: My dance teacher, who was Syrian, did hate this song. But she was really into classical, heavy music, like Oum Kalsoum and Abdel Halim and Farid El Atrache. She was a dancer from them 50's and 60's so that makes perfect sense.

Thanks Norma! That makes sense.
Know your audience = definitely!

Originally Posted by tamrahennatx

I've had lots of luck using "Gawaher" from Dr. Samy Farag's Midnight Magic CD. It's a 15-minute routine, which you can edit in several different ways. It does include a killer 5-minute drum solo, so be warned, LOL.

I just looked this up on youtube and LOVE IT! Can any of you verify for me that this is the CD it's from, because there's no song clips there for me to match it audibly and no lengths of time are posted for me to make sure it's the 15 minute version:
http://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Magic...0276240&sr=1-6

I too am looking for new upbeat stuff to add to my collection and found this thread. So if any of you have more suggestions since this thread started, please post! And thanks for the ideas!!!

I use mostly upbeat music for my restaurant sets. Almost everything I've used in the past couple of years is here - Kiyaana's List. I've added my recent picks at the end of each section.

Originally Posted by Darbla

I just looked this up on youtube and LOVE IT! Can any of you verify for me that this is the CD it's from, because there's no song clips there for me to match it audibly and no lengths of time are posted for me to make sure it's the 15 minute version:
Amazon.com: Midnight Magic - Belly Dance Music: Dr. Samy Farag & Various Artists: Music

I too am looking for new upbeat stuff to add to my collection and found this thread. So if any of you have more suggestions since this thread started, please post! And thanks for the ideas!!!

Yes, it's from the Midnight Magic CD. I can't tell you how many times I've had to buy this CD as it always seems to disappear. This of course was back in the day when you couldn't save CD's to your computer.

I also like El Ard by Tony Mouzayek and Mario Kirlis on El Clon. I like the whole CD as a matter of fact. El Ard for some reason reminds me of Gawaher but not as frantic!



Gawaher




El Ard. You can download it on Amazon.

I love the idea of your list Kiyanna! What a great resource for students, audience members and other dancers.