Radiodiffusion Internasionaal Annexe

♬ Ista’idooh

Wow. A year later. Sorry for the long delay…

The traditional music of Kuwait had been well documented up until the Persian Gulf War, when Iraq invaded the country and destroyed much of their archives. Nevertheless, Kuwait has retained a vital music industry, both long before the war and after. Kuwaiti music reflects the diverse influences of many peoples on the culture of Kuwait, including East African and Indian music.

Most of the citizens of Kuwait know Firqat Al-Telvizyon as “The TV Band”. They are the official band of Kuwait Television, in conjunction with the Ministry of Information. Their purpose is to record and perform all genres of folk music in order to preserve Kuwait’s musical traditions. Although the band members have changed over the years, they are currently still active and have a vast discography.

Thanks to Fatima Al Qadiri for the translation and information.

Catalog Number 03 BUZ 26 on Bou Zaid Phone of Kuwait. Released 1980.

(o^_^o) – yes!
I swear I was just perusing this place last night, sad that it was inactive. Really. Glad to see something new.

Comment by icastico February 13, 2012 @ 10:15 pm

What a lovely surprise! Glad you’re back!

Comment by Angela February 14, 2012 @ 7:56 am

Psyched to see a new post. I’m really enjoying this!

Comment by Scott February 16, 2012 @ 8:47 pm

Great to see you back !!! With all these music blogs disappearing in the past weeks, that’s really a good news !
Thanks for this post !

Comment by Ceints de bakélite February 19, 2012 @ 3:37 am

Amen.

Good to see ya back.

H.H.

Comment by Hammer February 20, 2012 @ 11:43 am

I shall elaborate more on the TV-Band of Kuwait’s official television station.

First, the title is “استعدوا” which means “Get Ready”, and it refers to some hmm, TV quiz show focusing on a girl who’s – as the band sings in unison – “got the answer in a Samsonite bag”. Weird. But, Kuwaitis were so rich that they sang about such luxury items.
Mostly, the band sang jingoistic songs live on TV, or recorded at the TV-Station’s studio). The songs’ themes vary, but in Kuwait these are called Wataniyat, and here below is a link with almost 60 songs by that band for those who dig these sounds.

http://gulf.salmiya.net/songs/tv-band/

Enjoy.

H.H.

Comment by Hammer February 21, 2012 @ 2:02 pm

Welcome back. You were sorely missed.

Comment by Gary Numan February 29, 2012 @ 6:32 pm

Yowza! Welcome back! I love your site, very stoked that you’re posting again.

Comment by Tom G March 6, 2012 @ 6:15 pm

A much welcome return! You’ve been sorely missed!

Comment by Jo/No March 7, 2012 @ 3:11 pm

Glad to have you back.

Comment by Tom March 10, 2012 @ 10:05 am

Welcome back! I was indeed beginning to wonder. As a lover of odd 60s-70s rock and roll from around the globe, I certainly do frequent your site. I have a blog now too (which I keep sporadically updated) called popexotica.blogspot.com

Comment by Hilary March 22, 2012 @ 7:49 pm