We are Connected

Traditional Western rock, blues and jazz seamlessly meet the music of the Maghreb in Jan Wouter Oostenrijk's latest and fourth album. In contrast to the bleak portrayal of much of the Arab world in the media, We are Connected offers a playful, mostly upbeat experience that transports the listener to the vibrant heart of North Africa. An award-winning Dutch guitarist, Oostenrijk masterfully integrates bluesy North African sharqi music and Maghreb jazz with the music of the West. He achieves this partly thanks to his electric quarter-tone guitar, an invention of his that enables the sounding of Arabic quarter-tones throughout the album.
The seven tracks begin with an energetic off-beat rhythm in ‘Sabah el Nour’, an Arab morning greeting that poetically translates as ‘May Your Day be Full of Light.’ ‘Step Aside’ draws on the maqam ‘Rast’, which is traditionally used to express power and directness, while ‘New Wave Oriental’ is a fusion of punk influences and heavy rock coupled with the distinct Arabic musical mode of maqam ‘Bayati’. We are Connected is ultimately a refreshing reminder of the hospitality, rich culture and intricacies found across the Arab world.