(2021) Fatima Al Qadiri - Medieval Femme


Review:
Returning to Hyperdub for her third full-length release, Medieval Femme, Senegal-born, Kuwaiti musician Fatima Al Qadiri takes the poetry of Arab women from the medieval period as the album’s key thematic influence. Sounds from the past and present are fused together, as organs pulse and reverberate over sharp tones on Sheba, while sparse synths lead into trembling gongs on ‘Stolen Kiss of a Succubus’ and delicately plucked strings lie beneath warped vocals on ‘Qasmuna (Dreaming)’. On ‘Tasakuba’, a couplet from the 7th century poet Al-Khansā – widely considered one of the most influential poets of the pre-Islamic and early Islamic periods – is recited by Kaltham Jassim. Having recently dipped her toe in the film world, Medieval Femme is an extension of the ideas explored on Al Qadiri’s recent soundtrack for French Senegalese director Mati Diop’s 2019 Cannes Grand Prix-winning film, Atlantics. With its main influences taken from the distant past, Medieval Femme has an inherently Gothic feel; its mystical sounds transporting the listener through the rich, vibrant history of Arabic music and culture.





Track Listing:
1.Medieval Femme 03:20
2.A Certain Concubine 02:27
3.Sheba 03:26
4.Vanity 03:06
5.Stolen Kiss Of A Succubus 03:47
6.Golden 02:36
7.Qasmuna (Dreaming) 02:59
8.Malaak 03:18
9.Tasakuba 03:14
10.Zandaq 03:49


Media Report:
Genre: ambient, world
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits