After years of reissuing rare Arab records, the Berlin label widens its remit — Audible Beauty goes looking anywhere the digging leads.
Known for uncovering and reissuing rare music from across the Arab world, Berlin-based Arabic funk-connoisseur Habibi Funk has launched a new sister imprint, Audible Beauty. Audible Beauty focuses on overlooked recordings and musical histories from around the world, born out of a record-digging trip to Malaysia and Indonesia undertaken by Habibi Funk founder Jannis Stürtz more than a year ago. Originally travelling to the region for DJ gigs, Stürtz extended his stay in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta to explore local record stores and archives.
Initially interested in learning more about a regional genre influenced by Arab musical traditions ‘Gambus’, he then stumbled upon a collection of little-known LPs produced by Malaysia’s national broadcaster, Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM).
Introduced to the records by Kuala Lumpur’s Sputnik Records, Stürtz discovered a catalogue of releases recorded by RTM’s in-house composers and musicians. Produced primarily for broadcast purposes and pressed in limited quantities, the albums featured a wide range of styles, with many of the jazz, funk and soul-influenced recordings, most of which were virtually undocumented online. Listening to the RTM recordings reminded Stürtz of the work of Algerian composers such as Ahmed Malek and Saâd Kezim, whose music was created in a similarly state-supported broadcasting context.
