Yasmine Ghauri

With her debut solo album Ya Nass (2013), Yasmine Hamdan introduced her personal, modern take on Arabic pop. In Al Jamilat (‘The Beautiful Ones’), she pursues her musical exploration, while taking a look at the mutations at work within the Arab world. While Yasmine’s vocals are definitely connected to traditions of Arabic music (to which she takes an unconventional and fresh approach), the structures and arrangements of the songs are very remote from its codes, and take in elements from contemporary Western electronic, pop and folk music.

An album of reconstructions and remixes, revealing some of the lovely, secret perspectives hidden in Yasmine’s Hamdan impressive, successful second album Al Jamilat, courtesy of 9 distinguished artists & producers, including mighty Parisian electronic music crew Acid Arab, Chilean maverick Matias Aguayo, elegant German ensemble Brandt Brauer Frick, Berlin techno artist Shed, Crammed's own Greg Bauchau, Cubenx from Mexico, Olga Kouklaki from Greece, and mysterious, recluse middle-eastern produced George Bshoum. Yasmine Hamdan herself has contributed a great remix of “La Chay”.

Après plusieurs années passées à Paris, Chérif et May reviennent à Casablanca. Architecte, Chérif se voit confier un projet impliquant le rasement du bidonville d'El Bahriyine et le déplacement de ses habitants en périphérie de la ville. Historienne, May écrit un livre d'entretiens avec les habitants de ce quartier pour tenter de dissuader son conjoint de prendre part à ce projet. …

Ya Nass is the debut solo album by the Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan, previously a member of the band Soap Kills and one half of the duo Y.A.S.. The album was originally given a limited release, in France and Lebanon, on the French Kwaidan label in 2012, under the title Yasmine Hamdan. It was released internationally by Crammed Discs in April 2013, under the title Ya Nass, featuring five new songs. It was produced by Marc Collin, best known for his new wave covers project Nouvelle Vague.