El Khat

Live on KEXP

On the show this time is inspiration from the music of Yemen, played with the homemade instruments of El Khat.

El 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. The 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.

Recorded 11/02/2023.

• Balagh Al Achbaab
• Tislami Tislami
• Zafa
• Djaja

Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTube.

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