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Kuwait's musical traditions were well-recorded until the Gulf War, when Iraq invaded the country and destroyed the archive. Kuwait is known as the center for sawt, a bluesy style of music made popular in the 1970s by Shadi al Khaleej. Nabeel and Abdullah Al-Ruisheed are the most popular modern sawt performers, who include influences from techno and Europop in their music.
Traditional music
Traditional Kuwaiti music is mostly performed by women in private, with some all-female bands performing for public celebrations (most women never sang or danced in public). Simple percussion instruments and clapping were usually the only instruments used.
Wedding songs include the Al-Fann, performed by percussionists and singers, all female, who also dance the Al-Khamary (individually). Al-Sameri was another kind of wedding dance.
Al-Fareesa was a dance performed on certain national and religious holiday by women disguised as men. The dance acts out a battle between a horseman and two attackers.
Al Arda Al Bahariya was a well-known song from Kuwaiti sailors, along with Al-Nahma, which is a class of songs that accompanied many sailing activities.
Mawleds are recitations of sections from Muhammed's biography, chanted on religious holidays.
References
- Badley, Bill. "Sounds of the Arabian Peninsula". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 351-354. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
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