Between the Desert and the Sea

El Tanbura

World Village 450002

An enchanting acoustic mix of Egyptian folk melodies, Sufi verses and sea shanties from antiquity, led by the captivating sound of the Simsimiyya and underpinned by driving Arabian grooves.

El Tanbura mix chanting vocals with the desert flute, the nay, and the ancient lyre, the Simsimiyya, that looks like something you’d find on a painting in a Pharaoh’s tomb

Sounds that have evolved through male camaraderie and the sheer physical joy of collective music-making over many centuries

★★★★ The Telegraph

El Tanbura have been playing the music of their native Port Said since the late 80s and, with the release of Between the Desert and the Sea, it seems that their time has finally come

★★★★ Songlines

Their mix of enchanting folk melodies and spiritual Sufi verse is mesmerizing

★★★★ The Times