El Khat

In a search for his own roots, frontman Eyal El Wahab became intrigued by the culture of his grandparents, who emigrated from Yemen to Israel in the 1950s. After listening to the LP 'Qat, Coffee & Qambus: raw 45s from Yemen', a new world opened up for him and he took on the goal of reviving traditional Yemeni music.

El Khat joyfully and with a solid DIY attitude pay tribute to the Golden Age of traditional Yemeni music. With a barrage of unhinged percussion, pounding bass, hypnotic choirs and slightly off-beat brass, they take you on a rousing, psychedelic and slightly addictive sound adventure in Grounds.

El Wahab achieves this renewal in his music, among other things, by playing mainly self-made instruments, such as the dli and the kearat. To do this, he recycles items that are ready for the scrap heap and rebuilds them into musical gems, which help define the extraordinary sound of El Khat. It is a practice that goes back to the age-old tradition of his homeland.

The result is a retro-futuristic Yemeni folk music that looks both over its shoulder to the past and forward to the world before our eyes. With two albums under their belt and a third due in 2024, El Khat are spreading their authentic sound across the globe, seeking to create a sense of community among their audience.