Karim Baggili is a Belgian musician of Jordanian-Yugoslav origin who initially focused on the guitar, but has now also discovered the Arab oud. For the first half of the tracks on 'Kali City', Baggili was assisted by famous oud-trio Le Trio Joubran, but the album gains more momentum in its second half, where, in the tracks Karim recorded with his own band, instruments like the darbuka and kawala also pop up. Although 'Kali City' is almost entirely instrumental, Karim made an exception for three tracks for which he invited Samia Sabri and Karolina de la Serna, and for 'Amar', the closing track of the album, he took to the microphone himself. Even though Baggili does not strictly adhere to Arab tradition (on 'Kali City' influences from flamenco can also be heard) the album has a totally natural feel.