Mohammad Syfkhan

Following on from last year’s unforgettable performances at The American Bar and a year that has seen him bring his joyous, uplifting sound to many rooms, festivals, and dancers across Europe, Moving On Music is delighted to welcome Irish based Kurdish/Syrian singer and Bouzouki player, Mohammad Syfkhan, back to Belfast!

Mohammad’s own brand of ecstatic music takes elements from Middle Eastern and North African music to create an atmosphere of joy, love and happiness.

Since arriving in Ireland, Mohammad has used the language of music to integrate into the local community by playing at private parties and concerts. He has been playing music since the 1980’s, while living in the city of Raqqa, Syria where he began working as a professional singer and started his own band, The Al-Rabie Band, which played concerts, parties, weddings and festivals all over Syria.

His debut album ‘I Am Kurdish’ (“A record that truly slaps” – The Quietus) came out through Nyahh Records in February 2024 and led to performances at Lankum’s ‘In The Meadows’ festival, Other Voices, the Venice Biennale, and on the Tommy Tiernan show, to name but a few.

“Syfkhan takes his domestic influences and fuses them with music from beyond those regions, from North African folk rhythms to Turkish psychedelia. It’s a glorious alembic not bound by borders, where Mohammad himself brings a cultivated exuberance to his playing that belies his vintage.” – The Quietus

”No one could be left sitting to this” – Klof Mag