Kazdoura - Markab

After the great success of their debut album, Ghoyoum, Syrian-Lebanese duo, Kazdoura, return with Markab, their second album and first release in partnership with Habibi Funk.

Since the release of Ghoyoum, Kazdoura have taken their music around the world, touring internationally, playing festivals and selling out shows as their audience has continued to grow. Musically, Markab finds Kazdoura at their most confident and fully formed, bringing Arabic musical traditions into a groove-heavy, organic band sound shaped by psychedelic and Anatolian rock, indie, jazz, Afrobeat and Gnawa.

Arabic maqamat including Bayat, Rast, Nakriz, Hijaz and Kurd sit at the heart of the record, carried by Leen Hamo’s vocals and John Abou Chacra’s guitar, saxophone and flute, with prominent basslines, live drums, analogue textures and repeating grooves driving the arrangements. While making the album, the duo drew inspiration from artists including Alt?n Gün, Men I Trust and Kit Sebastian, alongside older Arabic music and records from the Habibi Funk catalogue.

The result moves naturally between Arabic melodies and microtonal phrasing, warm psychedelic guitars, jazz-informed instrumentation and tightly locked rhythms, while retaining the immediacy and energy of Kazdoura’s live performances.

The album was recorded across two main sessions, beginning with an intensive ten days at Dream Club in Victoria, British Columbia, in July 2025 before the duo completed the remaining material in Toronto through the winter and spring of 2026. Despite the different studios, musicians and recording processes, the result is a cohesive record built around the organic, band-driven sound Kazdoura had been searching for. Alongside eight original compositions, Markab includes Kazdoura’s interpretations of the traditional “Ya Maria” and Elias Rahbani’s “Ya Nassini.”

Having built their career independently, Markab opens a new chapter for Kazdoura as their first album released with Habibi Funk, bringing together the musical worlds that have shaped the duo while pushing their sound firmly forward.