When Syrian techno star Omar Souleyman began playing his hyper shaabi street sound at weddings in his home region of Jazeera, locals were jazzed — and word soon spread to the West, where he became a YouTube sensation. A frantic flash of traditional dance-party tunes, electro beats and slang-filled poeticisms on love and war in a rapidly evolving Syrian state, Souleyman's frenzied e-bounce is blended with Syrian dabke, Iraqi choubi and other regional folkloric styles, as he wails the lyrics in Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish — a mad melange of the cultural stew of northeastern Syria. Tonight he plays a free show at the Santa Monica Pier to promote his first album to be recorded in a studio, Wenu Wenu. Pack a picnic or grab a snack at the pier shops. Santa Monica Pier at end of Colorado Boulevard, Santa Monica; Thu., July 31, 7 p.m.; free. santamonicapier.org/twilightconcerts.

Thu., July 31, 7 p.m., 2014
(Expired: 07/31/14)

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