Omar Khorshid – Giant + Guitar

Egypt’s electrifying guitarist who bridged Cairo cabarets, film scores, and pop modernism, Omar Khorshid released Giant + Guitar (also known as Rhythms From The Orient) in 1974 at the height of his creative experimentation with his futuristic guitar and electronic textures. Recorded in Cairo and Beirut studios where Arabic orchestration collided with imported Western electronic instruments, the album features Khorshid’s Fender guitar riding long reverb tails while organ and early analog synths provide cosmic backdrops. Pitch-bent oscillators and sustained tones peek through, sometimes shadowing his maqam-based melodies, sometimes shimmering like satellites over the Nile.

Recommended – Full Listen

Join us next Tuesday, September 30th at Zizou to hear this album alongside other cosmic African albums from the Past, Present, Future. Tickets are available now.