Thread: Song search please!

Hi all,

Does anyone know what this song is about and where I can purchase it (it's the second song on the video : it's starts at 3:51 )? All I know is that the song is called "Ana Ana" by Hassan Al Asmar, but online searches have been so incredibly fruitless!



I'm guessing I've got either the song title or artist name wrong! But I've tried typing the artist name as Hassan El Asmar, Hasan Al Asmar, Hasan El Asmar...and still nothing O_o

Many thanks

Sof

I can't find it, and I searched for حسن الاسمر and انا انا in Arabic, where you don't have the problem of multiple ways to spell things. The info for the first part is right. "Dani" (aka "Bahebak ya asmarany") is definitely by Ehab Tawfiq, but I am skeptical of the ID for the second clip. I'm not sure the voice is like Hassan al-Asmar's (I'm used to thinking of him as being a bit more throaty), and to my ear, it sounds like he is singing "wana wana," not "ana ana" (but that change didn't improve the search results).

Judging from the music and the costumes, the video is fairly old, which may mean that song came out on cassette and didn't make the digital jump--not everything did. The Ehab Tawfiq song was released in 1990 on his debut album, and neither Maqam nor Rashid stock any records that old by him. Or maybe the song is still for sale, and I'm not looking in the right place to see it. There's a good chance it is online somewhere as a bootleg MP3, but it would be nearly impossible to locate without the title and artist.

Sorry, weak Arabic skills, the audio isn't exactly crystal clear, and I'm even worse at Arabic lip reading than regular listening comprehension... It looks like Zaza still has an active web site, so you could try contacting him.

I hadn't heard it before. Hurray for youtube.

That second one is "El Wad El Gen" sung by Hassan El Asmar.

حسن الأسمر - الواد الجن

Originally Posted by Alexandrian

That second one is "El Wad El Gen" sung by Hassan El Asmar.

حسن الأسمر - الواد الجن

الجن - The Jinn? Really? What aspect? Do tell ...

Originally Posted by Sofeya

Hi all,

Does anyone know what this song is about and where I can purchase it (it's the second song on the video : it's starts at 3:51 )? All I know is that the song is called "Ana Ana" by Hassan Al Asmar, but online searches have been so incredibly fruitless!

I'm guessing I've got either the song title or artist name wrong! But I've tried typing the artist name as Hassan El Asmar, Hasan Al Asmar, Hasan El Asmar...and still nothing O_o

Many thanks

Sof

THIS IS GREAT STUFF! - The second song is about "wistik kamanga" Your waste is like a violin - and your body is as straight as a bayonet. My musicians recorded this one for me a while ago. It's a popular folk song reworked. I LOVE Zaza! I worked with him in Paris in 1979. His dancing is real - no energizer bunny disassociated from the words. Here he's ad-libbing the words even though the whole thing was choreographed. If you have to go down that road, this is the way to do it! Laid back and real. Great clip. Thanks for sharing.

You can download El Wad El Gin on amazon mp3 downloads.

Originally Posted by Serpentine

الجن - The Jinn? Really? What aspect? Do tell ...

Not sure I understand the question. But "Gen", the colloquial term for "Jin", is used to different ends in the language.

Originally Posted by Alexandrian

Not sure I understand the question. But "Gen", the colloquial term for "Jin", is used to different ends in the language.

I was hoping you could tell me how it's used here, in this song. Please.

This is the best I could locate Hassan El Asmar - Dawaba | Welcome to Tarabyon! Multiple sources say it's on the album "Dawaba," but the version Zaza used sounds slightly different than what I am finding online. I'm not sure whether it is my imagination that the 6arabyon files feel slightly speeded up, but Zaza's version doesn't have the crazy bellowing "Yallah!"

There is also at least one remix floating around. I'm torn between describing the audio below as "frenetic" or "cacophonous." YMMV...




OT...Alexandrian, did you have a chance to listen to the Anna Borisova clip that still needs an ID Anyone knows this music?

How brilliant! Thanks so much for all the feedback! ...I should have come on here sooner...

Indeed the frenetic version is the one I keep finding... a fine version! But i can't get the Zaza version out of my head. Of course, if Zaza's version is a reworked, I take it that means I won't be able to find it anywhere? I did contact Zaza (like Tourbeau suggested), but he's not got back to me yet...it's early days I guess and he is a busy man after all... Also is this style what you'd refer to as shaabi music?

@Serpentine: how lucky are you to have worked with him?! I might be travelling to Paris next month, and i'm hoping my trip coincides with a series of workshops he will be giving in his studio.

Anyway thanks again everyone...

Originally Posted by Serpentine

I was hoping you could tell me how it's used here, in this song. Please.

"Gen" is used to describe someone who is cunning or capable. Sometimes, it means a person of many talents. Anyway, you get the point.

I had never seen Zaza Hassan before but I took an instant liking to the man. Serpentine, I know I could look him up but, adding my voice to others, I would greatly appreciate it if you could tell us a bit more. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

This is the best I could locate Hassan El Asmar - Dawaba | Welcome to Tarabyon! Multiple sources say it's on the album "Dawaba," but the version Zaza used sounds slightly different than what I am finding online. I'm not sure whether it is my imagination that the 6arabyon files feel slightly speeded up, but Zaza's version doesn't have the crazy bellowing "Yallah!"

There is also at least one remix floating around. I'm torn between describing the audio below as "frenetic" or "cacophonous." YMMV...]

caconetic?!

OT...Alexandrian, did you have a chance to listen to the Anna Borisova clip that still needs an ID Anyone knows this music?

I did but it's out of my league. It's definitly fluff and I always have difficulty distinguishing one from another within that realm.
Promise to do better next time.

P.S. Is this the version you're after:

Originally Posted by Sofeya

Also is this style what you'd refer to as shaabi music?

I would, especially the remixed versions. There's a certain segment of the current sha'abi scene represented on YouTube whose music has a strong "Let's experiment with every button on the keyboard" flavor.

I was hoping الواد الجن was some sort of idiom that would explain what's going on here beyond the obvious (that it's some Egyptian dude dancing around his house).

@Alexandrian: That is exactly it! Thank you so much...

@Tourbeau: love your definition of the genre.. that definetly clarifies it... Hilarious video too! Thanks :)

Happy Easter everyone