In the late ’70s and early ’80s, Lebanon endured an intense civil war . Sectarian tensions and the disrupting force of the Cold War plunged the Middle Eastern nation into decades of armed conflict, with a chilling effect on daily life. Music scenes were insular; tapes were copied by hand and passed between friends and family. Nearly every musician in Beirut knew one another. Against the backdrop of seemingly endless violence, artists banded together and dabbled in soul, disco, and jazz as a salve to their suffering. Beirut City Pop , the latest compilation by archival label Habibi Funk , tells the story of the artists who dared to imagine a life beyond war.

Stephanie Stephanou didn’t have one in mind when she started sneaking into nightclubs while underage, a freedom she only enjoyed because her parents fled the country and left her behind.…