TootArd

What a scene: the dancefloors of the Middle East in the early 1980s, the debauched atmosphere of the discos in Cairo, Damascus and Beirut. This is exactly where TootArd, Arabic for strawberries, take us with their “quarter-tone pop”, catchy pop hooks with traditional Arabic melody lines. The brothers Hasan and Rami Nakhleh come from the mountain village of Majdal Shams in the Syrian Golan Heights, which have been occupied by Israel since 1967. On their three albums, TootArd have cultivated a blend of danceable, melodic psych-rock, Arabic influences and desert blues, bringing the rich musical traditions of SWANA (Southwest Asia, North Africa) back to the dancefloors of the world. A feeling of freedom that still resonates today.