First Spin
Last Spin
- Jun 11, 2024
20:54 PMWorld premier El Khat is a homemade junkyard band led by multi-instrumentalist Eyal El Wahab. Named for the drug used so widely chewed across the Arab Peninsula, The band brings original compositions inspired by the music of the golden age in Aden, Yemen. Israel/Poland/Yemen
Darek Mazzone - Feb 24, 2024
7:16 AMThe band is named after the drug – Khat – a stimulant chewed like tobacco across the Middle East and in Africa, and you’d better check where you are before partaking. Its legality varies by location, as does the punishment for possession! El Khat’s music is based in the traditional sounds of Yemen, but it is not frozen in amber, this is not anthropology. This is living modern music for you to listen to now. Their latest is called Albat Alawi Op. 99 and it is available on Glitterbeat. - Feb 24, 2024
7:11 AMEl Khat is the musical brainchild of Eyal el Wahab, a Yemeni man who grew up in Tel Aviv. He makes his own instruments in the tradition of impoverished people all over the world. - Feb 24, 2024
7:06 AMOn the show this time is inspiration from the music of Yemen, played with the homemade instruments of El Khat. - Nov 2, 2023
12:22 PMEl Khat’s last album, “Albat Alawi Op . 99,” was released in 2022. They have new music coming in 2024, so be sure to stay tuned to hear more from them! elkhat-music.bandcamp.com shorturl.at - Nov 2, 2023
12:15 PMEl Khat is performing as part of the amazing Freakout Festival which kicks off tonight and runs through the weekend in Ballard. You can see them tonight at the Sunset Tavern. More details can be found here - www.the-freakout.com Be sure to catch them on their very first US tour this month - www.instagram.com - Nov 2, 2023
12:10 PMEl Wahab plays many of the instruments on their 2022 album, things like the dli and the kearat that he constructed himself. A skilled carpenter, it’s something he started doing several years ago, using his skills to make music from the items people discard. A child of the Yemeni diaspora who’s grown up in Tel Aviv Jaffa, Israel, it’s a practice that harks back to the family homeland, where even rubbish can become an instrument. Check out this fascinating video of him creating his own instruments - www.youtube.com - Nov 2, 2023
12:04 PMEl Khat – a four-piece from Tel Aviv, all with different backgrounds – Iraq, Poland, Morocco, and Yemen. In reference to the addictive leaf that has been chewed socially in Yemen and the Arabic peninsula for over 600 years, the band’s choice of name can be interpreted in various ways. The khat leaf provides a feeling that promotes community and relaxation, a safe and welcoming connotation. batovrecords.com
