The story of Ali Hassan Kuban’s life is one of openness.

The man who came to be the most important wedding musician between the Nubian and the Arab world had a life-long desire to incorporate new sounds into his music. His international debut album "From Nubia to Cairo", reissued in the fall of 2018 by Piranha Records, is proof. Ali Hassan created a new kind of Nubian music with his irresistible mixture of traditional Egyptian music, African rhythms and Western Jazz in the 1980s.

The Berlin-based collective aJan, known for their seamless syntheses of Electronic and traditional music, demonstrate a similar openness in their new take on "Mabruk" (Congratulations). The aJan Remix skips the extended brass intro and dips right into the infectious Oud sounds that make the tune so danceable, condensing the six-minute wedding stomper to three ecstatic minutes. Adding tasteful House beats and subtle synth sounds while retaining the vibe of the original, aJan have created a new kind of party mover and shaker for DJs and casual listeners alike.

Play it at a wedding or play it at a club. But do play it loud.

Links

• aJan on Facebook
• From Nubia To Cairo reissue
• aJan official website
• Order