Travel with Boshoco’s New EP, Tressé, Out Now on Souq Records! [Review]

What’s music without discovery?

Tune into the work that Souq Records does and you will find yourself on a road scintillating with taste, diversity and novelty. This label is always one to keep in your back pocket for the promise of creative and culturally rich soundscapes. Middle-Eastern electronic music is a genre so peaceful and absorbing that we could all use a little more of it in our lives. Through a wise fusion of old and new instruments, sparkling artistic personalities and a collective desire to share stories, Souq releases have all it takes to make their mark on your day and senses.

Whether you’re migrating or staying put this winter, allow their first EP of 2018 to guide you to warmth. The Boshoco boys, a spellbinding Syrian duo, just released a downtempo road companion called Tressé, whose track names translate to 1, 2 and 3 in Arabic. With winding melodies, slow sunny buildups and an Oriental aura, this contemplative and spunky EP grabs your emotions with a firm hand and speaks to them via sprawling instrumentation.

We especially love the imaginative tempo variations of each piece, which usher in new chapters of the track and leave the passenger in anticipation of different dissociated parts. Departing from conventional song formats and predictable space and time structures, Tressé carries a transcending pensive element choreographed by its dancing synths. The songs show nuance, switching up between moods and sonic styles. The artists alternate between layering on assorted sounds and stripping down to one sole instrument, sculpting a space for the listener to meander between old and new influences, spirituality and tension, abstract and tangible.

The Boshoco boys are literal and figurative travelers, from parting with their native Aleppo after a chaotic past year to roaming through musical genres and influences. Their passion for dance music goes beyond individual enjoyment; by creating, they seek to recruit new passengers into “the atmosphere of acceptance that can be found on dancefloors.” Now established in effusive Turkey, where so many musical influences from around the globe beautifully converge, Nihad and Philippe aim to weave their cultural heritage into the broader electronic music scene.

The first track, Awal, hits the road with ethereal vibes carved by the piano and ney – the only wind instrument in classical Arabic music. It melodiously builds on this haunting atmosphere, slowly kicking into deep house gear. The beat eventually shifts towards a more modern and tense segment, which it then abandons to find the flute once more. The song continues to simmer down and blaze up, layering on reverberations along the way and fostering an ambient feel.

Video by Nashwan Marzook

Tani bounces into life with an enigmatic rattling noise over a steady clapping bassline, infusing traditional sounds with a winding downtempo feel. The piece progresses towards poignant resonances, encountering the sounds of Dabkeh, a festive and interactive Middle-Eastern folk dance. The melody and beat completely dissipate for an instant, allowing the serpentine flute full autonomy over the trip.

 

Talet’s evocative tone and pulsing bass line are punctuated with brief whisper-like samples and gentle glitch noises, heartwarmingly breaking out onto an Oriental accordion tune. Slightly graver in tone than its predecessors, this track reaches its destination through rhythmic mysterious thumps and echoes.

The overall EP production allows for the ear to fully take in each building block of the track, in isolation and together. The raw conclusion of each song with a halting beat reminds us that the ending is not as significant as the journey throughout.

A real gem that can be unearthed within Boshoco’s musical project is learning about the philosophy behind their sound. Saltaneh, an Arabic concept, is a sublime natural high and “emotional state of mind, a peak of pleasure that comes from music”. The term coins the possible synergy between musician and moment, as a performer in msalten (a state of Saltaneh) exudes energy to draw the crowd in.

Fusion, fun and danceability shaped the duo’s union. They met at a camp five years ago and explored their early-shared musicality through hip-hop and trip hop. They decided to join forces when Nihad spontaneously started playing Dabkeh licks alongside Philippe, mixing at a NYE party.

When asked if they had any advice for musicians evolving in challenging environments, they sensibly replied that “challenging environments can bring a lot of beauty from inside, creating is a survival mechanism. One thing we are learning is to accept what we can’t change and fight for what we can. And most of all, to enjoy the process.”

https://soundcloud.com/deepklassified/boshoco-deep-klassified-podcast-66

Tressé paves the path to the values of “tolerance and unity” that steers Boshoco in their musical expeditions, with a prog house EP as the next pit stop. Their generosity is without borders, yet they are currently unable to travel until the regularization of their status – we stand with them in the hope of finalizing the necessary admin formalities soon, so they can continue to roam freely and charm dance floors around the world

You can purchase the EP here. If you like what you hear, check out these lovely tracks from Souq Records below. Happy listening!

Review by Lola