Björk and Omar Souleyman team up for joint album

Björk and Syrian singer Omar Souleyman have teamed up for a joint album to be released later this year. This will mark Souleyman's pop debut – and, presumably, his first time singing with a former member of the Sugarcubes.

It's "the first-ever major western pop release to feature Syrian dabke and Iraqi choubi music", according to a press release received by Pitchfork. Beyond our excitement for the braiding of Souleyman's raucous Arabic techno and Björk's meticulous art-pop, we are equally thrilled by the mention of a "major ... release": it's one thing for Björk to issue a one-off remix download, and another if she and Souleyman have spent time recording together. All we know for the moment is that the project promises a limited 12in vinyl record, CD and digital download, before the end of 2011.

Björk is Iceland's biggest musical export, but Souleyman is much less well known in the west despite a serious cult following. The Icelandic singer discovered the dabke MC on YouTube, she told NPR in 2009: "What's refreshing about [Souleyman] is the party," she said. "It's really alive and very urgent. And he's not above using synths, electronics, drum machines and YouTube. He's really eager to make something that's vibrant."

Souleyman has two UK dates booked for later this year, at London's Field Day in August, and the Isle of Wight's Bestival in early September.