This month sees the return of the other Omar S, Syrian superstar – and worldwide cult hero – Omar Souleyman.

On May 11, Sublime Frequencies will release Jazeera Nights, their third collection of Souleyman material to date. With a sound anchored in street-level Dabke street-pop, with aspects of Iraqi Choubi and other Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish styles thrown in for good measure, the veteran vocalist and his band are really quite remarkable, navigating sonorous balladry and something akin to bonkers lo-fi techno with flair and utter mastery of technique.

Jazeera Nights culls tracks from cassettes recorded between 1995 and 2009, and its release coincides with the start of Souleyman’s 2010 international tour in May. Those of you in the UK can catch him play Bristol Metropolis (with Konono No 1, May 11), Glasgow Stereo (13), Leeds Brudenell Social Club (14), Manchester Sound Control (part of a FACT-partnered showcase at FutureEverything, 15), Butlin’s in Minehead (Pavement-curated ATP, 17) and London’s Scala (17).

The new CD features a full colour 8-page booklet with photos, a general overview of the lyrics translated into English and liner notes by compiler Mark Gergis.

Tracklist:
1. Hafer Gabrak Bidi (I Will Dig Your Grave With My Hands)
2. Ala Il Hanash Madgouga (The Bedouin Tattoo)
3. Hot Il Khanjar Bi Gleibi (Stab My Heart)
4. Kell Il Banat Inkhatban (All the Girls Are Engaged)
5. Labji Wa Bajji Il Hajar (My Tears Will Make the Stones Cry)
6. Dazeitlak Dezzelli (I Signal, You Deny)
7. Li Raja Behawakom (I Beg You, Baby)
8. Mandal / Metel Il Sukkar Ala Il Shai (I Don’t Know / Like the Sugar in the Tea)
9. Eih Min Elemkom (From the Day That I Told You)