Bab L’ Bluz – Swaken (Real World Records, 2024)
Bab L’ Bluz, the French-Moroccan power quartet, has unveiled their latest album, Swaken. The new project includes eleven tracks that sends forth an electrifying energy that seamlessly combines elements of psychedelic blues, funk, and rock with the trance-inducing rhythms of North Africa’s Maghreb region, drawing from Gnawa, Amazigh, Hassani, and Huara musical traditions.
The album’s title, Swaken, originating from Moroccan Darija, encapsulates themes of possession, haunting, and transcendence, exploring the notion of losing oneself to discover a deeper identity. Reflecting a warm analog sound reminiscent of 1970s rock legends like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Morocco’s own Nass El Ghiwane, Swaken channels the spirit of social justice and spiritual exploration, drawing inspiration from Gnawa lilas, traditional all-night healing rituals.
Co-founder Yousra Mansour, alongside French guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Brice Bottin, spearheaded the band’s evolution since its creation in 2018. Mansour’s compositions, predominantly sung in her Moroccan-Arabic dialect, Darija, are at the forefront of Swaken, addressing pressing social issues such as inheritance laws, gender disparities, and mental health challenges while advocating for unity and compassion.
“Constant touring means we have grown in confidence and power,” says Mansour. “We adapted our sound for festival crowds, made it heavier, rockier. We added more instruments. More courage. More fire.”
“We love the rock energy,” adds Bottin. “You plug in your instrument, and you drive people crazy. Rock came from blues. Both are related to trance music. You can listen deeply, or headbang, and be completely taken over.”
“There are still times when we are confronted with outdated attitudes,” says Mansour, with a shrug. “Which only makes me more determined to express everything I feel. I will not censor myself.”
Mansour’s emotive and magnetic vocals, accompanied by the formidable sounds of her electric awisha lute, are complemented by the versatile instrumentation of her bandmates, including Ibrahim Terkemani and Jérôme Bartolome.
Musicians: Yousra Mansour on lead vocals, electric awisha, electric mandol, electric guembri, karkabas, electric ribab, bendir, tbal, taarija; Brice Bottin on electric guimbri, guitar, banjo, peul flute, keyboards, karkabas, bendir, cowbell, bongos, taarija, dub siren, gong, backing vocals; Ibrahim Terkemani on drums, karkabas, bendir, backing vocals; Jérôme Bartolome on karkabas, cowbell, backing vocals; with Mehdi Chaib on ney, kawala, zorna.
Buy Swaken.
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.