Arabic Balearic Dance Music
Arabic Balearic Dance Music Fusion
Composition Background
I wanted to examine the possibilities of fusing Arabic music with a Balearic dance rhythm. More "Cafe De Casablanca" than "Cafe Del Mar". Of course, Spanish music has been strongly influenced over the years by Arabic music, mainly because of the close proximity of Spain to North Africa but more due to the Muslim rule of the Iberian Peninsula, "Al-Andalus". This lasted for over 800 years, and there was a rich cultural exchange during this time, which continues today. This can probably be seen mostly in flamenco music but permeates wider.
(Canún, 2022)
This composition fuses a Balearic dance theme with Arabic instruments: Saz, Baglama and Ney.
Composition Structure
The structure of this track consists of an introduction involving a reversed Saz note that fades in as the Balearic dance beat is introduced.
The composition then follows a traditional verse-chorus structure, followed by a bridge and then a further verse and a double chorus. The outro is a heavily processed Saz strum section with delay.
Composition Development
I experimented with the Saz sounds to include a reverse Saz strum section with delay at the start of the track.
The melody is played on the Saz during the verse and the Ney in the chorus.
The bass pattern throughout the track is played on the Nexus synth using a "fuzz" bass.
During the verse, I start off with some chords played on the Nexus Sugar pad, then gradually introduce A Nexus Arepeggio with a Balearic feel.
Verse 2 continues with the introduction of a Nexus space pad along with the other instruments.
During the bridge section I vary the rhythm using a Nexus drum patch and finally introduce an Arabic percussion loop in the final verse / chorus section.
Virtual synths are used for arpeggio elements and electro bass. The Arabic Ney VST is also included.
Reflection
This was an interesting exercise to fuse the elements of Balearic dance music with more traditional Arabic themes. I thought that using the Saz as a melody instrument worked effectively against the Balearic dance rhythm.
The use of dance style arpeggio added more to the "Ibiza" feel of the track whereas the Arabic instruments created the fusion that I was looking for
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