(A pair of karkabas, fair trade. Gnawa metal castanets.) The karkabas, a musical instrument intricately tied to Gnawa music, a traditional genre originating from Morocco.…
Karkabas: the Trance-Inducing Metal Castanets
Tag: Morocco
Hind Ennaira: A Rising Star in Gnawa Music
Born in 1997 in Essawira, Morocco, Hind Ennaira has emerged as a new icon in the Gnawa music scene. Despite lacking Gnawa roots in her…
Artist Profiles: Moroccan Singer Abir el Abed
Abir el Abed, a renowned singer born in Tangier, Morocco in 1992, hails from a family with a deep appreciation for the arts. At the…
Artist Profiles: Maghreb Jazz Pioneer Malika Zarra
Malika Zarra, a jazz vocalist, composer, and band leader from the Maghreb, embarked on her musical journey from her native town of Ouled Teima in…
Artist Profiles: Bnat el Houariyat
Bnat el Houariyat (“the girls of Houara”) is a multigenerational ensemble that follows Moroccan laâbat tradition. These are women’s percussion groups that perform stinging, often…
The Entrancing Grooves of Maalem Moktar Gania
Moktar Gania & Gnawa Soul – Gnawa Soul (MusjoMusic/Nuits d’Afrique, 2022) “Gnawa Soul” brings together the spellbinding Moroccan rhythms of the Gnawa, West African influences…
Artist Profiles: Mazagan
Moroccan band Groupe Mazagan, or simply Mazagan, was formed in the summer of 1998 by three teenage friends from El Jadida in western Morocco: Issam…
Artist Profiles: Mehdi Qamoum
Mehdi Qamoum was born in Agadir, Morocco. He was raised in a family immersed in a Ganawa traditional music. He stood out in this field…
Artist Profiles: Asmaa Hamzaoui
Asmaa Hamzaoui is the leading female performer of Gnawa music. Together with her band Bnat Timbouktou (Daughters of Timbuktu), she performs Gnawa music that goes…
Artist Profiles: Karima Skalli
Moroccan artist Karima Skalli is one of the leading classical Arabic music vocalists, inspired by the great voices of classical Egyptian music. At the age…