Driss El Maloumi – Aswat (Contre-Jour / Zig Zag World, 2023)
Moroccan musician and oud virtuoso Driss El Maloumi is set to release his latest album titled “Aswat” on April 20th, 2023. In this new musical offering, El Maloumi intends to explore the auditory landscapes of everyday life, capturing the sounds of hope, pain, fatigue, doubt, loneliness, and happiness, which form the essence of our existence.
“Aswat” presents a set of dazzling oud performances, with stellar individual playing, accompanied by a rich layer of captivating North Africa and Middle Eastern percussion. Notably, there is an ongoing dialog between the oud and percussion, including brilliant call and response interaction.
“Aswat,” which translates to sounds, is a manifestation of El Maloumi’s lifelong quest for musical ecstasy, or Tarab, which refers to the state of rapture, bliss, and contentment that music can induce. As an Arabic musician, he draws inspiration from the rich oral tradition and seeks to imbue his writing with the same essence. This album is the first part of a larger project, which will also feature “Tafassil,” an instrumental work for Oud and Symphony Orchestra.
El Maloumi, born on May 25th, 1970, has established himself as one of the most prominent composers and performers on the oud. He is renowned for his solo and trio performances and has collaborated with the likes of Jordi Savall, a Spanish musician, and musical director of Hesperion XXI. Furthermore, El Maloumi is also a member of the acclaimed group 3MA, which comprises three popular African string instrumentalists.
Driss El Maloumi describes his new album: “Aswat” which means sounds is my new musical work for oud, percussion. A musical attention to the sound echoes of everyday life: the sounds of hope, pain, fatigue, doubt, loneliness, happiness… of life! I consider this project as a desire, a wish, and a dream that I have had for years. It is the result of my fundamental quest for “musical ecstasy”, represented by the Tarab (that feeling of amazement that lies between bliss, contentment, rapture, and ecstasy after listening to music) . My writing as an “oriental” musician seeks to grasp the stakes of this “Tarab”, nourished by the powerful oral tradition.”
More about Driss El Maloumi
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.
Great article on one of the finest oud players. Only Driss is Amazigh, even though he knows how to play in Arabic musical styles.