On / Off

Description

This fifth album, On/Off, Bachar Mar-Khalifé wanted to record it in his homeland Lebanon. More precisely in the living room of the family home, a stone house, isolated in the mountains north of Beirut.
Pianist, singer, conductor, producer, Bachar Mar-Khalifé has many facets. He was revealed by the album Ya Balad (Infiné, 2015), and for some a little earlier with Who’s Gonna Get the Ball from Behind (Infiné, 2013). Many have been captivated by this blend of electronics, Lebanese music, and progressive rock. With this new album, he follows the same recipe and ventures for the first time into French song as evidenced by a magnificent duet with the late singer Christophe on the track “Jnoun”. There are also tracks with trap influences like “Chaffeh Chaffeh”. The recording of the album took place in December 2019, amidst the popular protests that shook Lebanon. In his own way, Bachar contributes to it - the emotion is palpable, the sparseness of his music echoes the situation in the country. The recent news from the city of Beirut has greatly affected the artist who decided to donate part of his crowdfunding campaign to a Lebanese NGO.