Les Nuits

This collaboration between the Anglo-Middle Eastern singer and Egyptian composer and multi-instrumentalist Samy Bishai emerged from a stage collaboration with choreographer Angelin Preljocaj, and his touring ballet production Les Nuits, based on the tales of One Thousand and One Nights. Bishai plays a strong hand here, with some disconcertingly woozy synthetic beats and textured electronica, while Atlas’ sumptuous, decadent voice turns to more abstract means; this is an album of few words, though a new version of James Brown’s ‘It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World’ is placed in the context of how women are perceived in contemporary Arabic society.

On ‘Ghorba’, she sounds in turns disquieting and ethereal and, at its best, the album’s electronics play out like three-dimensional labyrinths, leading you into the murky centre of a dimly lit nightclub dance floor. There’s plenty of acoustic playing, with Bishai’s work on violin and piano augmented by ney, clarinet, saz, strings and percussion. Across its 19 short, inventive songs, they summon up a spirit of serenity, adventure and exploration. It’s crying out for a DVD of the ballet, too, which may come out later this year.