Ahmed Fakroun
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Born in Benghazi in 1953, Ahmed Fakrun was the Libyan pioneer of world music: in the 1980s, he married Arabic melodies, oud and synthesizers. Rediscovered by DJs from around the world, he signed his first Scandinavian tour in 2026.
Ahmed Fakrun was born in 1953 in Benghazi, Libya. He was a multi-instrumentalist, playing saz and oud, and grew up between Egyptian and Lebanese music and Western rock, and spent part of the 1970s in England, where he shot and recorded.
In 1983, "Sun Sun" revealed its unique style: traditional Arabic melodies, instruments like the oud, the qanun and the darbouka, married to synthesizers, electric guitar and rhythm boxes. The album "Mots of Love / Words of Love" (1987, Celluloid) confirmed its status as a North African pop legend.
Years of international sanctions against Libya have slowed his career and led him to live between France and the United States. From the 2010s, collectors, re-release labels (PMG in 2016) and DJs — to Londonian O'Flynn, who reinterpreted "Sun Sun" with his agreement in 2024 — rediscovered him and brought him back to the stage, from the Amsterdam Dekmantel to the Jazz Cafe in London.
In February 2026, Ahmed Fakroun made the first Scandinavian tour of his career, with a concert at the ALICE hall in Copenhagen as part of Vinterjazz — and a new album announced.