Libyan pioneer Ahmed Fakroun will play his first UK concert at Liverpool Philharmonic’s Music Room in 2023.
Presented in partnership with Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, the star has seen a revival over recent years as his music has been rediscovered and sampled by artists including David Byrne and Bat for Lashes.
A ground-breaking artist, Fakroun is a purveyor of Arab melodies and western electronic music. In the 1980s, a promising career looked set to begin with the release of his acclaimed album Mots D’Amour, but international sanctions displaced many Libyans and curtailed his superstardom in the Arab world. Fakroun disappeared altogether in the 90s.
Now, almost forty years on, he is beloved for his unique blend of new-wave, synthpop, and disco infused with the folk sounds and melodies of his homeland. Fakroun has become a rediscovered star in the western world thanks to renewed attention from the electronic community and appreciation with a dancefloor resurgence.
The Master of the Maghreb brings his glittering Saharan sheen to Liverpool Philharmonic for his first ever UK show.