Mehdi Nassouli was born in Tarudant, southern Morocco, engaged in Gnawa culture. A phenomenal musical talent, he learned to play various musical instruments at an early age, becoming especially passionate about the three-stringed Gnawa bass lute, the guembri (also known as sentir and hajjuj).
Before launching his international career, Mehdi Nassouli spent a decade traveling throughout Morocco, studying the diverse regional musical traditions under some of the leading musicians in the area. In southern morocco, Mehdi learned Malhoune poetic arts and Deqqa folkloric percussion.
Introduced to the international world music scene by festival director Brahim El Mazned, Mehdi now has many projects and international collaborations, and also leads many different types of bands.
Receptive to the fusion of musical genres, he has collaborated with many leading international artists. He worked together with French guitarist Titi Robin for five years, including the 2012 Les Rives project and their joint 2015 album Taziri. Nassouli has performed with Fatoumata Diawara, Benjamin Taubkin, Justin Adams, Herbie Hancock and Alpha Blondy, mixing traditional African, Amazigh (Berber) and Gnawa music with sounds of the wider world.
In 2016, Mehdi showcased at the World Music Expo held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Discography:
Taziri (World Village, 2015)
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.