Habibi Funk Print Habibi Funk Print 001: Spotlights MAGAZINE 2026

A message from Habibi Funk: “We have been carrying the idea of a print music magazine for a while now. The idea behind ‘Spotlights’ is to bring together some of the research we have done for our own releases but also include stories that go beyond the scope of our record label. It took us much longer than we planned but now eventually we're more than happy to share the result with you.

“Gracing the cover of our first issue is the inimitable Sun Ra in 1971, performing in Cairo at the apartment of Cairo Jazz Band co-founder Hartmut Geerken. Alongside these magnificent photos, we publish a comprehensive final conversation with the late Geerken from his Germany home in 2021.

“We delve into the visual world of Moroccan studio photographer Fouad Zerrei, profile anonymous Soul singer Pale Jay, and explore Mulatu Astatke’s timeless Ethio-jazz hit ‘Tezeta’ as a cinematic tool in RaMell Ross’ 2024 film ‘Nickel Boys’. We also invite vinyl collectors Algerian Vinyl and CrocoDiscos to share the most beloved records.

“Edited by Armani Syed, texts by Ahmed Khalil, Yasser Abellatif, Gabrielle Messeder, Joshua Thermidor, Armani Syed and Jannis Stürtz, design by Robert Winter, Jeremias Diekmann and Raphaelle Macaron.”