Soap Kills
Encyclopedia
Soapkills was an indie electro-pop band based in Lebanon
. The group was formed in October 1997 when Zeid Hamdan and Yasmin Hamdan, both born in Beirut
in 1976 but not related, decided to explore and combine their interest in classical Arabic song and electronic music.
Currently a cult
group in Lebanon, Soapkills got inspiration both from classical Arabic song and music and from the new electro scene blossoming in the Middle East. French media have described them as "Trip hop
à l'oriental" The band's name was initially that of a song written by Zeid Hamdan, and according to him referred to the reconstruction of Beirut after the Lebanese Civil War
: "We thought that at the time, in the context of Beirut being ... you know, reborn, and all the war being wiped clean, we thought, wow, it's shiny and it's awful and it's soap kills. We thought it would be a nice name for a band." The group's sound was initially dominated by a Roland MC-303
Groovebox
, which Zeid Hamdan had acquired to replace musicians after the dissolution of Lombrix, a rock band that he had founded in the mid-1990s with Yasmine Hamdan and others.
The band appears on several compilations, has recorded the albums Bater (2001, for which it was joined by Rabih Mroue and Walid Sadek playing flute and trumpet) and Cheftak (2002), and has performed in Paris, Berlin, Syria, Algeria, Congo, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Sydney.
In 2005, Soapkills released their last album to date, entitled Entah Fen. The album features new material as well as remixes of their previous songs. In 2007, the band was mentioned in Time
as part of "small but artistically significant rock scene" in Beirut.
Yasmine Hamdan and Zeid Hamdan both started working on solo projects. Zeid went on to form a band called The New Government, while Yasmine, during a Madonna party in Paris, met with the producer Mirwais. Together, they formed the duo Y.A.S.
The project places Arabic lyrics at the center of electronic beats, and the album Arabology
was released in France in march of 2009.
In 2008 there were talks about a Best Of CD, consisting of the Zeid/Yasmine's most popular tracks, but various offers from producers have been rejected.
There is no certainty about Soapkills' future, whether the band will reform or if they are completely dissolved is yet to be announced, but Yasmine has stated that Soapkills had been banned from radio and tv airplay and she hopes that Y.A.S won't have the same fate in France.
Extended plays
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. The group was formed in October 1997 when Zeid Hamdan and Yasmin Hamdan, both born in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
in 1976 but not related, decided to explore and combine their interest in classical Arabic song and electronic music.
Currently a cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
group in Lebanon, Soapkills got inspiration both from classical Arabic song and music and from the new electro scene blossoming in the Middle East. French media have described them as "Trip hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
à l'oriental" The band's name was initially that of a song written by Zeid Hamdan, and according to him referred to the reconstruction of Beirut after the Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
: "We thought that at the time, in the context of Beirut being ... you know, reborn, and all the war being wiped clean, we thought, wow, it's shiny and it's awful and it's soap kills. We thought it would be a nice name for a band." The group's sound was initially dominated by a Roland MC-303
Roland MC-303
The Roland MC-303 is the first of a series of musical instruments known as a Groovebox. It combines a simple sound module with a sequencer to record and store notation, along with controls aimed at encouraging the musician to improvise the music while it is playing...
Groovebox
Groovebox
The term Groovebox was originally used by Roland corporation to refer to its MC-303, but the term has since entered general use. It refers to a self-contained instrument for the production of live, loop-based electronic music with a high degree of user control facilitating improvisation.A groovebox...
, which Zeid Hamdan had acquired to replace musicians after the dissolution of Lombrix, a rock band that he had founded in the mid-1990s with Yasmine Hamdan and others.
The band appears on several compilations, has recorded the albums Bater (2001, for which it was joined by Rabih Mroue and Walid Sadek playing flute and trumpet) and Cheftak (2002), and has performed in Paris, Berlin, Syria, Algeria, Congo, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Sydney.
In 2005, Soapkills released their last album to date, entitled Entah Fen. The album features new material as well as remixes of their previous songs. In 2007, the band was mentioned in Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
as part of "small but artistically significant rock scene" in Beirut.
Yasmine Hamdan and Zeid Hamdan both started working on solo projects. Zeid went on to form a band called The New Government, while Yasmine, during a Madonna party in Paris, met with the producer Mirwais. Together, they formed the duo Y.A.S.
Y.A.S.
Y.A.S. is a electronic music duo, formed in 2007 in Paris, France, and consists of Mirwais Ahmadzaï and Yasmine Hamdan ....
The project places Arabic lyrics at the center of electronic beats, and the album Arabology
Arabology
-Samples:"A-Man" contains an excerpt from "Man Machine" as performed by Kraftwerk. "Get It Right" contains an excerpt from "Keep The Trance" as performed by Madonna.-Personnel:The following people contributed to Arabology:...
was released in France in march of 2009.
In 2008 there were talks about a Best Of CD, consisting of the Zeid/Yasmine's most popular tracks, but various offers from producers have been rejected.
There is no certainty about Soapkills' future, whether the band will reform or if they are completely dissolved is yet to be announced, but Yasmine has stated that Soapkills had been banned from radio and tv airplay and she hopes that Y.A.S won't have the same fate in France.
Discography
Albums- Bater (2001)
- Cheftak (2002)
- Enta Fen (2005)
Extended plays
- Lost (1998)
- Live at Circus (1999)