Since 2003, the Palestinian poetic singer and oud player Kamilya Jubran and the Swiss trumpeter and electronic boundary-pusher Werner Hasler have created a unique universe of sound, to which they can now add Wa, a single long-form suite. Contrast is the game here: shadows and light, sharp scratches and soft caresses. Exhilaration and grievances, tension and ecstasy. The free-sounding tonality of the oud, its passionate voice, the dreamy echos of the trumpet and the electronic whispers give rise to a strange, ghostly combination of sounds. We are somewhat rather tentatively transported across a dissonant landscape of dancing reliefs. Wa wavers between Oriental tragedy, noise-heavy poetry and crepuscular science fiction while managing to elicit trepidation and smiles for the listener all at once. One thing’s for certain, it is a stunning and transformative piece of art. © Benjamin MiNiMuM/Qobuz