YAS IS THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL ELECTRO PROJECT THAT PLACES ARABIC LANGUAGE AT THE CENTER OF POP CULTURE! No exoticism but transgression, sulphur and genius, where Arabic discovers a new ultra-modern youth.
YAS is Mirwais and Yasmine: Mirwais Ahmadzaï and Yasmine Hamdan. Leading the project is Mirwais, born in Afghanistan, he has already contributed to several duos; Daniel Darc (French rock icon), Juliette (from Juliette et les indépendants) and Madonna [...]
The other half of YAS is Yasmine Hamdan. Born in Beirut, she was shunted around between Lebanon, Greece and the Gulf countries. Bred on various musical moods, inspired by artists such as Chet Baker, Grace Slick, Janis Joplin or Nina Simone and fascinated by the arabic traditional old repertoire [...]Their collaboration started when Mirwais listened to some of Yasmine’s maquettes and was inspired to offer YAS to her. On top of singing in arabic with Lebanese, Egyptian or Kuwaiti accents, she composes and writes her own lyrics. The result is explosive. Completely new, totally intelligible. Nothing in common with a colonial “world-music”. If one needs a reference, take Daft Punk, Kraftwerk and Madonna, put them in a shaker made in Lebanon, shake vigorously and serve on the rocks. That’s YAS: a terrific shot of Arabic electro-pop that goes to your head and gets your pelvis moving. In the 20th century pop culture is an Anglo Saxon affair. In 2008, plate tectonics called YAS revolutionize the world’s geo-cultural order; it’s now between Kabul, Beirut and Paris that it’s happening. A new crusade of liberation: Electro Kasbah !
