Foggy Notion: Charif Megarbane

EU Tour 2025

With his DIY musical ethos, Charif Megarbane has created an inimitable style of instrumental music, a melting pot of global sounds that glides effortlessly between 1960s Italian library music, psychedelic sounds from the Middle East, Afro-beat and hip-hop breaks. Megarbane refers to this as "Lebrary" music: a vision of Lebanon and the Mediterranean expressed through the kaleidoscopic approach of library music. Megarbane's innovative instrumentals draw on his diverse musical influences, from the fuzz-soaked guitar riffs of blaxploitation films and the percussive rhythms of West African funk to Lebanese belly dance psych and 1960s European film scores - all reinterpreted through a contemporary lens. In just over a decade, Megarbane has released over 100 albums under various names on his own Hisstology imprint, offering an experimental musical diary of his late-night improv sessions recorded in Beirut, Nairobi, Paris, London and Lisbon - the various cities he calls home. Megarbane takes a novel, playful, mind-expanding approach to composition, characterized by sophisticated but spontaneous instrumentation and unfiltered improvisation - a conscious resistance to the modern commercialization of music and a welcome counterweight to the polished, digital overproduction that defines today's industry.

Following the release of the critically acclaimed 'Marzipan' as Charif Megarbane on Habibi Funk Records in July 2023, the first contemporary release from the label whose previous work with Ahmed Malek and Issam Hajali has deep connections to Charif's music, Charif unveiled his new work 'Les Grandes Vacances' in January 2024. The LP marks a triumphant return to the ensemble narrative. The title of the LP can be understood as both "grandes vacances" and "vacations", the dual sonic essence of the LP, a melodic tapestry woven from an eclectic panorama of sonic devices. Funky inserts, dreamy melodies and cinematic flair create an experience that stands the test of time. From pulsating funk energy to introspective moods and library-inspired melodies, "Les Grandes Vacances" captures the essence of past and present, inviting you to revel in the perfect balance of "Groove-Stalgia".