Track Listing

1. Free At Last
2. Lost Love
3. Harem
4. Peace
5. Sayat Nova
6. Casa Del Sol
7. Zay Al Hawa
8. Batwannis Beek
9. Piece Of Heaven
10. Harem
11. Passion

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #87721 in Music
• Released on: 2003-01-28
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.com
Lebanese disco? Well, stranger things have been hits. Certainly, the three Beirut DJs behind the eponymous R.E.G. Project--Ralph Khoury, Elie Barbar, and Guy Manoukian--couldn't get a better introduction onto the international scene than at the hands of Paris DJ-cum-haberdasher-cum-restaurateur-cum-record-mogul Claude Challe. Challe's hipster cred will doubtless boost R.E.G.'s chances of success in Europe. R.E.G. Project's frenzied sound--a plainly hedonistic mix of Arabic swirls and wind instruments and thumping, percussive beats--arrives at the intersection where East meets West: indebted to both but faithful to neither. But things don't start out that way. Opening tracks "Free At Last" and "Lost Love" unfurl slowly and ambiently, as if reserving energy for the metered cacophony yet to come. By the first version of "Harem" (it appears twice) we're on a dance floor halfway between North Africa and the Middle East. Whether consciously or not, the R.E.G. Project conjures the ghost of Germany's phenomenal pan-African combo Dissidenten who, like the best fusionists, also follow the map of the heart, not the head. --Kim Hughes

Customer Reviews

Piece of heaven
Most people familiar with my reviews knows that I am an enormous fan of the downtempo music, especially of the Buddha Bar series. Claude's work with the Buddha Bar series is impressive to say the very least. I first came across his name when I first saw this particular cd at my local Borders' bookstore. I listened to a sample of the cd and loved what I heard. I love Middle Eastern-influenced dance music. Today I struck gold when I found a used copy of "Near Eastern Lounge" in the used cd bins. I immediately bought it (along with the new DJ Tiesto cd, and the latest by Fountains of Wayne).

I didn't realize until I read the cd booklet that R.E.G Project is three Lebanese djs and that this incredible cd is a sample of their work. Claude Challe was smart to take these three guys under his wing and to expose the rest of the world with their incredible work as djs. The music is an amazing blend of traditional Middle Eastern music and modern house music. The results is a pure joy to listen to. The thunderous epic "Piece of Heaven" is evidence that the R.E.G Project is a force to reckon with. I loved how the beginning of the cd starts off very mellow and eventually picks up the pace after the third or fourth track. I loved all the songs. There wasn't one song on this cd that I didn't like or felt that it was out of place on the cd. Hopefully the future will be bright for these three talented men, as well as for legendary dj Claude Challe. I felt like I hit nirvana when I listened to "Near Eastern Lounge".

Techno nightmare
I love this D.J. But this album has me wondering what he was thinkging. It has great intro's and background fusion but then there is this (Rabbit thumpin, spaz arobics, Techno beat) mixed in that ruins 80% of the songs. It is horrible like the way Techno used to sound when it first came out bad bad bad!. I tried to love this CD because everything else I have by this artist I love. I think he made this as a joke, it just has to be a joke it's that bad. I threw it out my car window after trying to like it five plays later, I dont know how much caffine he must have had before creating this but I am surprised it did not kill him.
I hope anything after this CD that this artist makes is absolutley not like "Near Eastern Lounge" There is nothing "LOUNGE" about it. I only gave it two stars because He is an amazing artist with the sad exception of this one CD, This CD sould not even be rated.

House Music All 1001 Nights Long!
The R.E.G. Project is a collective of three talented Lebanese DJs, an acronym of their first names, who are inspired by the King of the Buddha Bar/Nu-world music, Claude Challe, to produce a full-length CD that fuses the best of Arabian music traditions with contemporary club music. The collection opens with "Free At Last," a chill-out tribute to Challe and the Buddha Bar, featuring the ethereal sounds of the duduk, the famous Oriental wind instrument. The second song, "Lost Love" continues in the downtempo vein, a lush number that would not be out of place at a legendary Eastern spa (you think you hear the water droplets falling on the marble floor!). And then the CD kicks into high gear with "Harem," the first uptempo song that is more representative of the entire album. Incidentally, "Harem" comes in two versions: original and house mix with the former definitely being the superior. As the fusion of Arabian percussion and melodies with that sweet house music that just won't quit continues, R.E.G. pay tribute to the legends of Arabian music: Omme Khoulsoum and Baligh Hamdy in Zay Al Hawa, and Warda in Batwannis Beek, definitely highlights of the CD! Another highlight, Casa Del Soleil, is a bright and sunny latin-house track that integrates beautifully with the album's Mediterranean feel. Definitely a collection not to be missed by fans of Claude Challe, Middle Eastern pop, worldbeat, and dance music.