The independent Leitrim label Nyahh Records is back shining a light on little-known music of folk persuasion, this time the vibrant Syrian artist Mohammad Syfkhan.
Last year, Nyahh Records, the label run by Willie Stewart (Woven Skull), released a collection of recordings called A Collection of Songs in the Traditional & Sean-Nós Style.
The Ireland-based Syrian/Kurdish artist Mohammad Syfkhan’s debut album I Am Kurdish was released on the label last week, and finds a bright and energetic release filled with bouzouki, singing and music drawn from Middle Eastern and North Africa.
Surgical nurse Syfkhan fled to Ireland in 2011 after the war broke out in Syria, and his son was killed by ISIS.
Syfkhan moved to Ireland in 2017, and was housed at the Mosney Direct Provision Centre before moving to Carrick-on-Shannon, where he met Stewart.
He has played private parties for the Kurdish and Syrian communities and gigs with Martin Hayes, Cormac Begley, Eimear Reidy, Cathal Roche and Vincent Woods. In 2023 he opened for Lankum at the Cork Opera House.
The album is a vibrant delight.
Three of the tracks on the album feature accompaniment by two fellow Leitrim-based musicians: composer, improviser, sound artist and saxophonist Cathal Roche and composer, improviser and cellist Eimear Reidy.
The album was recorded by Rian Trench at The Meadow Studio Co Wicklow, in February 2023 and at Studio Moo Moo, Effrinagh, Co Leitrim, June 2022.
Syfkhan’s story was featured in the Guardian this week in an article by Jude Rogers titled “‘Music is the language of the world’: how a Syrian refugee became the toast of the Irish folk scene”
There’s also this fine Quietus interview and feature.
Mohammad Syfkhan is launching his album at Bello Bar, Dublin on Friday 29th March with Enthusiastic Eunuch, in association with Nyahh Records,
About Mohammad Syfkhan
Mohammad Syfkhan is a Kurdish/Syrian Singer and Bouzouki player. He began playing music in 1980 while he was in college studying nursing. When he got his degree in 1983, Mohammad moved to the city of Raqqa, Syria where he began working as a professional singer and started his own band, The Al-Rabie Band which played concerts, parties, weddings and festivals all over Syria. The Al-Rabie Band were a much sought-after group. Their live sets included Kurdish, Arabic, Turkish and some Western songs as well as Mohammad’s own original material.
Mohammad continued to play with his band while also working as a surgical nurse until the war broke out in 2011. This unfortunately brought tragedy to Mohammad’s family when one of his sons was killed by Isis thus threatening the lives of the rest of his family. His family had no choice but to leave their home and seek safety in Europe. Three of Mohammad’s sons were resettled in Germany while Mohammad, his young daughter and wife were taken in by Ireland. Mohammad has spoken at length of his confusion and despair with fundamentalists and how their message is a far cry from the teachings of love and understanding that he considers the true message of Islam.
Since arriving in Ireland, Mohammad has used the language of music to integrate into the local community by playing at private parties and concerts. He regularly plays at weddings and events for the Kurdish and Syrian communities all over Ireland and in Germany. He has collaborated with such Irish artists as Martin Hayes, Cormac Begley, Eimear Reidy, Cathal Roche and Vincent Woods. In 2023 he opened for Lankum at the Cork Opera House and received huge applause from the packed out room.
Mohammad’s own brand of ecstatic music takes elements from Middle Eastern and North African music to create an atmosphere of joy, love and happiness. The songs on ‘I am Kurdish’ have been recorded and mixed with the view to make them to suitable for listening to at a small get together or to be played on a big rig at night clubs. Either way, it is a record that will make people dance.
“I thank everyone who has stood with me and supported me. And I especially thank the Irish people who have engaged with my music in such a wonderful way. I consider myself lucky to have come to this wonderful country that has welcomed me and all refugees. I thank God for everything, and now, thanks to this wonderful country, I am a musician and have a safe home. Thank you to the Irish government and people for giving me the honour of calling this country my home.”
Nyahh Records:
A home for sound collectors, noise makers and music builders who love a good Nyahh.
