Al Wahem الوهم by PRAED

 

Raed Yassin and Paed Conca are coming back with a new album, beautifully released on vinyl. Al Wahem الوهم  - was recorded between Beirut and Berlin and it's a tight representation of their unique and unfalsifiable style, eloquence and erudition as well as musical intelligence and sense of humour. That dynamite mix is set across four tracks that fill the disc.

An exquisite blend of Lebanese ethnic music, modern electronic music, experimental approach derived from improvised music and all sorts of experiments. Clarinet, electronics and ethnic drums with electric or synth bass that duo presents is both energetic and can be used in different contexts - on one hand - it has a huge dancefloor and club music potential. On the other hand - it's way beyond triviality of club music and it's more of a deep performance of philosophical approach and artistic ambition that both Raed and Paed have. And more than that - it has a unique beauty that wouldn't be possible to achieve in any other context by anyone different.

One of a kind piece by one of a kind duo. I can only look forward to the next outing of those two. What a trip!

Al Wahem (“The Illusion”) is the new full-length release by PRAED, the Swiss–Lebanese duo of Raed Yassin and Paed Conca. Recorded between Beirut and Berlin, the album returns to the group’s central aesthetic: a rhythm-driven weave of Egyptian shaʿbī, electronics, improvisation and the gritty pulse of street-level sound. Nearly twenty years into the project, PRAED have distilled their approach into four pieces that subtly shift the listener’s bearings, reordering grooves and fragments until familiar elements take on new identities.

The twenty-minute title track sets the tone. A tightly interlocking two-drum foundation from Pascal Semerdjian and Ayman Zebdawi shapes a structure that expands steadily: synth figures branch outward, clarinet and bass lines act as internal guideposts, and brief vocal calls from Yassin and guest singer Mayssa Jallad sit inside the texture rather than leading it. PRAED’s shaʿbī keyboard language is present, but the duo stretch it outward, building tension and movement through patient accumulation.

"Al Hathayan," at 4:47, tightens the focus. Conca’s clarinet moves between melodic arcs and clipped rhythmic gestures, threading through electronic loops that surface and disappear. Zebdawi’s percussion adds a raw, tactile quality, placing acoustic patterns and electronics in direct conversation. The piece acts as a bridge between the album’s two long-form compositions.

Side B begins with "Al Maraya," a thirteen-minute piece that relies on electronic, bass and clarinet interplay. The atmosphere nods to the breadth of PRAED Orchestra!, but remains anchored in the duo’s rhythmic foundations. Rather than building mass, the layering creates a sense of depth, as if new spaces were opening inside the groove.

The album closes with "Assarab," featuring keyboardist Amr Said. Semerdjian and Zebdawi again form a dual percussive axis, while synths hover between melody and pulse, and themes recur in widening circles rather than building vertically. The porous boundary between electronic and acoustic sources - processed clarinet mistaken for a sequencer, rhythmic figures springing from live drums - is where the album’s theme of "illusion" shows itself most clearly.

Al Wahem follows a long arc: early releases on Annihaya, a key appearance on Ruptured Sessions Vol. 5 – Live at Radio Lebanon (2013), later albums on Akuphone, and the large-scale PRAED Orchestra! documented on Morphine Records. This new Ruptured/Annihaya co-release brings the duo back to a concentrated format, reorganizing their familiar materials with renewed clarity and intent. 

credits

releases March 6, 2026

Raed Yassin: Synthesizers, Electronics, Vocals, Samples

Paed Conca: Clarinets, Electric Bass, Samples

Recorded and mixed by Fadi Tabbal at Tunefork Studios in Beirut, Lebanon.

Additional recordings and editing at Paed Conca’s studio in Beirut and Raed Yassin’s studio in Berlin.

Strings recorded by Raymond Khalifeh at Electra Audio Recording in Ballouneh, Lebanon.

Mastered by Mark Gergis.

Additional musicians:

Pascal Semerdjian: drums

Ayman Zebdawi: drums, darbouka and riq

Mayssa Jallad: vocals on "Al Wahem"

Amr Said: Keyboard on "Assarab"

Rasheed Helal: violin

Razan Qassar: violin

Mahdi Almahdi: viola

Abdul Jawad Hretani: cello

All compositions by PRAED (Paed Conca & Raed Yassin)

Produced by PRAED.

Designed by Hatem Imam.

This album is a collaborative release by Annihaya and Ruptured [Beirut].

With the kind support of Kultur Stadt Bern and Swisslos – Kultur Kanton Bern.

RPTD073 / END022

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