I agree with a good number of those already posted and appreciate the lists courtesy Zeno Marx and collapsedhole (among others). For me there are a good 50 albums that would be worthy of repeat play.
One I haven't seen mentioned- Unfinished Mosque. Possibly ignored on account of the title and/or brevity. The killer is the track "Tel Aviv Nailbomb", chief elements of which appear in the percussion-heavy "Jeruselum Knife" (from Hamas Arc, also Speaking With Hamas). But in "Tel Aviv" the manic percussion is significantly reduced, employed principally as texturizing agent- and the net feel is rather ominous, even lustmordian. This sadly clocks in at a mere 6min. A shorter track very much resembles one of the more ambient efforts on Satyajit Eye.
Also I believe unmentioned- Re-mixs. (Yes, that's the correct spelling.) Three sprawling studies in abstraction, perhaps a bit aimless for some, and not to be ranked at the top. I would easily take Re-mixs well before, say, the relative boredom of Veiled Sisters. This may be a point of contention; what one calls "focus" I call "bored out of my tree". But my favorites do tend toward meandering sprawl, collecting diverse elements at irregular junctures while maintaining a steady, sustained, atmosphere.
It is again the more abstract, if not at all sprawling, pieces that I prefer from early efforts like Flagelata, Abu-Nidal and Jazura-Ul-Arab. The latter two in particular got a huge amount of play on college radio, in Toronto, in the late 80s. I still associate this sound- to qualify: the more abstract recordings from these records- with 80s college radio, along with NWW, Illusion of Safety and Zoviet France... and now that I mention it, more than a good share of early-mid Muslimgauze does not sound dissimilar to earlier Rapoon. Tempted now to pull out a big batch of Rapoon to supplement my Muslimgauze reminiscence. Am also reminded, perhaps in production and general effects, of SPK Zamia Lehmanni... all of which is to say that while I do very much appreciate the early Muslimgauze I don't think he'd developed a particularly distinct voice to that stage. It's ironic that only later, when dipping more readily in the more generic "world music" sound that he really found his peculiar niche. This is probably a tough sell so I'll leave it at that.
One direction that I'm the verge of getting (but not quite) is that of the looping brevity, the pure rhythm studies; Blue Mosque being a notable example. I'm getting there slowly via-
Azad, Sycophant of Purdah, Silknoose, and to a lesser extent Hand of Fatimah.
Sufiq might also squeak through.
-But I've been "getting there" for a number of years and no closer so... I will say that "Cairo Mercedes", from Sycophant of Purdah, has the distinction of being the sole hip-hop beat track, of all the hundreds and thousands of hip hop beat tracks, that I actually kinda dig. Reminds me of an angsty Boris Mikulic. Something to bump in the ride.
