Maalesh and his four musicians hail from the archipelago of the Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean.
Born Othman Mohamed Elyas in Moroni of a Comorian father and Ugandan mother, he has been playing music since the age of twelve. Maalesh is blessed with a soulful voice and also plays electric-acoustic guitar and percussion.
His music resonates with a blend of African, Asian and Arab influences. Using many languages including Comorian, French, Arabic and Swahili, many of his songs plea for tolerance, freedom and respect for cultural diversity.
Maalesh had a highly successful show at the 1995 MASA festival (African Market of the Performing Arts) and was the winner of the “Decouverte RFI Afrique” prize the same year. The group went on to win the 2001 Grand Prix International at the Festival Visa Francophone in Villefranche de Rouergue in France. They have toured extensively throughout Europe and the Indian Ocean.
In 2007 Maalesh was awarded the Prix Musiques de L’Ocean Indien Award as best music group from the Indian Ocean.
Discography:
Wassi Wassi (2000)
Nawambé (2007)
Yelela (Marabi Productions, 2008)
Ntsobwe (2012)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
