Foreign Affair

<a href="spotify:artist:3vTbaiurzKTXIn1nPtH1jC" data-name="Foreign Affair">Foreign Affair</a> was a short-lived project, formed by <a href="spotify:artist:2PkcEZnrJ3i1f5iJN834mn" data-name="Rami Fortis">Rami Fortis</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2wp6i8BxLF3UrF1J3LY4WC" data-name="Berry Sakharof">Berry Sakharof</a> in 1989 after the demise of <a href="spotify:artist:6a2HcrBBLrhSq57wzuoXYr" data-name="Minimal Compact">Minimal Compact</a>, the influential band which they were a part of.

When Minimal Compact separated, Fortis and Sakharof started recording this album, in Brussels. They worked with producer <a href="spotify:artist:4HsHsUnbEIXEmNl7gfKLnU" data-name="Gilles Martin">Gilles Martin</a> and enlisted several collaborators from the Crammed roster: talented Congolese musician Maurice Poto Doudongo who did some great drum programming, Bel Canto vocalist <a href="spotify:artist:6j9OUxLipuMLVonavrtP52" data-name="Anneli Drecker">Anneli Drecker</a>, as well as Vincent Kenis &amp; Marc Hollander, who performed/produced on several tracks and contributed some remixes (under the Mr Big Mouse moniker they were using for their electronic music productions). Fellow Minimal Compact members <a href="spotify:artist:1QpYmgR7tk2xCFdQ9Plezi" data-name="Malka Spigel">Malka Spigel</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0pZi8NySW4IcR3nqZFSHnT" data-name="Samy Birnbach">Samy Birnbach</a> contributed lyrics to some of the tracks.

<a href="spotify:album:6MiV76Yx3esNk28XIX4eNX" data-name="East On Fire">East On Fire</a> is steeped in the same spirit as Minimal Compact’s music, especially in terms of guitar work and vocals. But, interestingly, Foreign Affairs’ rhythm tracks are electronics-based. Their songs are at the same time poppier, and also (probably a reflection of Fortis and Sakharof’s respective Iraqi and Turkish roots) more oriental-sounding. Some of the lyrics made open references to the political situation in the Middle-East, to what it feels like to be living on a barrel of powder.

Foreign Affair only made one album and one tour: Sakharof and Fortis went back to live in Israel, where they launched into spectacular solo careers.