Samifati – Transe Gnawa Express (Passeport Production, 2026)
French-Moroccan duo SAMIFATI’s debut full-length album, Transe Gnawa Express, emerged from a 2023 Institut Français residency in Essaouira/Essawira, Morocco, and developed over two and a half years of collaboration with Gnawa musicians Maâlem Amine Bessi, Hamouda Benzaid and Ahmed Labnoua.
The album brings together traditional, transfixing Gnawa ritual music and spellbinding contemporary electronic trance music. The sessions were recorded in Morocco and France between 2023 and 2026. The result is a ten-track release that combines guembri, the classic karkabas metal castanets, lead vocals, amplified violin, modular synthesis and field recordings captured in Essawira.
SAMIFATI includes of Nantes-based artists Sami Fatih and Axel Vanlerberghe. During their residency in Essawira, the pair met Maâlem Amine Bessi, a practitioner of the gnawa lila tradition, alongside percussionists Hamouda Benzaid and Ahmed Labnoua. Initial sessions in the city’s medina evolved into a long-term recording project in two countries.
Transe Gnawa Express features traditional pieces including “Mimoun,” “Bou Gangui” and “Lalla Youbati,” alongside original compositions such as “Sandiya,” “Galbi Hzin” and “Soudani Ya Yemma.” The set also features two short field-recording interludes, “Medina” and “Souira.”
Throughout the release, the musicians place Gnawa instruments and vocals at the forefront. The guembri’s low-frequency pulse, the repetitve metallic rhythms of the karkabas and Bessi’s lead vocal performances form the foundation of the music, while the violin, electronics, and field recordings embellish the music.
The album also serves as the basis for a live audiovisual production featuring real-time visuals by Vanlerberghe. Performance dates in 2026 include appearances at Roots & Hybrid Festival in Aarhus, Paradiso in Amsterdam, Vera in Groningen, Stéréolux in Nantes, Marché des Continents in Chambéry and Festival Arabesques in Montpellier.
Since the release of the EP Cycle in 2017, SAMIFATI has explored connections between experimental electronic music, field recordings and immersive visual performance.
Musicians: Sami Fatih on violin, electronics, modular synthesis, production; Axel Vanlerberghe on live visuals, video direction; Maâlem Amine Bessi on guembri, lead vocals (Gnawa); Hamouda Benzaid on karkabas, vocals; Ahmed Labnoua on karkabas, vocals.
Track list:
01 Medina (Intro) Field recording — Essaouira medina, June 2023
02 Mimoun Ritual repertoire — guembri lead (Maâlem Amine Bessi)
03 Bou Gangui Ritual repertoire
04 Lalla Youbati Ritual repertoire — lwila figure
05 Galbi Hzin Original — single (10 Oct 2025)
06 Sqala (Interlude) Field interlude — Essaouira sea ramparts
07 Youmala Original
08 Sandiya Original — first single (18 July 2025)
09 Soudani Ya Yemma Original — single (16 Jan 2026)
10 Souira (Outro) Field recording — Essaouira outro
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.