ALBUM REVIEW: John Derek Bishop and Khaled Habeeb – Ekkofremtid

Nortusa

Released: 25.09.26

Ekkofremtid – Echo Future in Norwegian – is John Derek Bishop and Khaled Habeeb’s debut collaborative album. Together the two musicians blend ambient and Arabic folk music. The album contains six tracks, including the long, glitchy Nordlys fra Østen – a sonic homage to the Northern Lights.

There is great unhurriedness. The tenderly plaintive sound of oud, electronically manipulated and modulated, stretches indefinitely in time. The point isn’t to get anywhere but to explore different possibilities, paths, constellations of being. Ekkofremtid seems an invitation to wander in the music as in an unknown house, tentatively uncovering its hidden rooms. I enjoy the sense of suspension, the openness of the compositions, their meandering quality that also contains a form of vibrant hopefulness.