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The migrant birds are back! The iconic, trailblazing Arabic disco pop ensemble are set to electrify the dance floor in Toronto on Sep 10th @ Revival.
TootArd (Arabic for Strawberries) is a “quarter-tone pop” band from the majestic mountainside village of Majdal Shams in the Occupied Syrian Golan Heights. This inventive duo of brothers – Hasan and Rami Nakhleh – return with an infectious re-imagining of their sound.
Jammed full of pop hooks and quarter-tone melodic lines, the band’s latest album “Migrant Birds” unleashes a disco whirlwind that pays homage to the Middle Eastern dancefloor scenes of the 80’s. Retro funky meets hi-sheen contemporary.
The album’s heart is based on a simple idea – freedom; the freedom to be a Migrant Bird that can fly away. But perhaps that’s a tough feat for people who remain officially undefined and stateless. The Nakhleh brothers hope that one day, TootArd will be free to fly away wherever they choose. Until then, the Migrant Birds will fill and electrify the dancefloors all over the world.
It’s 1980. You’re in a disco, maybe in Beirut or Cairo, almost anywhere in the Middle East, lost in the colours and the lights, overwhelmed by the sound of drum machines and keyboards. It’s heady, it’s beautiful...but those days are long gone; maybe they were only ever just a fantasy. Real or not, they provide the inspiration for Migrant Birds, the new synth-powered album from TootArd that takes them to the dancefloor, about as far from the spare, guitar-driven desert blues of their highly touted Glitterbeat debut Laissez Passer, as it’s possible to go.
“Fraternal duo TootArd release ‘Migrant Birds’, a homage to 80s Beirut disco stacked with pitch-bending percussion and joyous, earworming synth melodies.” The Guardian
“The catchy pop hooks and machine beats layered with Arabic quarter-tone melodies evoke the hedonistic dance floors of Cairo or Beirut in the 1980s - although that’s only half the story. Underneath the frothy confection lie darker lyrics about exile and statelessness.” Uncut
“This second offering from TootArd [...] is as refreshing as it is stirringly authentic ...Theirs is intelligent, culturally affirming songwriting that’s free from commercial imperatives, with Levantine canon modalities explored and lovingly modulated with contemporary shifting tempos and unexpected instrumental tonalities.” Morning Star
OPENING ACT
CHAFIC
Chafic is a Beirut born-and-raised collector and selector. His passion for all things house and techno manifests in his carefully curated genre-blending sets. His soundscape ranges from hypnotic/90s-inspired techno to trippy minimal acid house and breaks depending on time and space. This time around, expect indie/dance deep cuts and groovy house with a little touch of acid.
Chafic initially drew inspiration from the scene of his hometown to develop an eclectic and diversified approach to electronic music. Since moving to Canada in 2020, he has co-founded the Carousel Collective, through which he organizes raves and invites artists from all over to take part.
Follow Chafic online:
SHOW HOURS
7:00 PM - Doors Open
7:30 PM - Opening Act
8:30 PM - TootArd Showtime
Co-hosted with:
TOOTARD CANADA TOUR 2023
We're so thrilled to be co-presenting the iconic duo’s Canada tour 2023:
Sep 7: TootArd in Vancouver (Get tickets)
Sep 9: TootArd @ Laylit Montreal (Learn more)