We meet the ‘godfathers’ of Moroccan music in the coastal city of Casablanca.
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A year in production, with nine countries visited and more than 80 musicians interviewed, this series by musician and documentary filmmaker Fermin Muguruza paints a ‘soundscape’ of the Arab music scene.
From Morocco to the Gulf, Next Music Station takes us on a journey, exploring the music of different Arab countries, en route addressing issues of tradition and modernity, the struggles of the present and the yearning for a brighter future.
In this episode, we journey to Casablanca, last year’s ‘Capital of Culture’.
The city is energetic and filled with creativity. Traditional sounds and the latest music trends coexist in a melodic fusion, influenced from everywhere. On the city’s performance stages, styles such as the chaabi, Maalen Abdendi’s gnawa and to a lesser degree the rai music are combined with new musical expressions and rhythms.
The Boulevard Festival, held in Casablanca and devoted to urban music, awards young musicians in four different categories each year: electronic music, rap, rock/metal and fusion. The festival, which also organises concerts by local and international artists, has become a reference of the Moroccan music scene.
Meet the musicians
Oum
Oum was born into a new generation of Moroccan musicians. Oum performs R’n’B and soul. She also dabbles in rap and reggae music.
Haj Mohamed Derham
Mohamed Derham belongs to a Morocco where bands such as Jil Jilala, Nash el Ghiwane and Lemchaheb emerged. These groups were influenced by rock, psychedelic music, protest songs and traditional music.
Maalem Abdenbi El Gadari
Maalem is the name given to the master, the expert in his profession. Maalem Abdenbi El Gadari is an expert in gnawa muisc. Gnawa is beyond a musical style, it is a way of life that forces the listener to rethink relations with the rest of the world. It is also a way of understanding the past and the history of Morocco, where blackness has been denied until recently.
Darga
Darga is a group influenced by French bands such as Mano Negra or Gnawa Difusion. They have a trill live performance full of reggae, rap, dub, rock or pop influences as well as from any style they come up with on stage.
DJ Key
DJ Key emerged from a new generation of Moroccan musicians. He uses hip-hop, funk and black global music to create his own sounds.
Hoba Hoba Spirit
Emerging from the new wave scene, Hoba Hoba claims their political position helps them create music that reflects their lifestyle. Through a fusion of rhythm they unveil lyrics anchored in a hard reality.
Haoussa
Haoussa understands punk rock not as a music style but as an attitude. The group claims that Islam and the sun are the two major blessings of being born in Morocco.
Morocco revisited airs from Tuesday, August 16, at the following times GMT: Tuesday: 2000; Wednesday: 1200; Thursday: 0100; Friday: 0600; Saturday: 2000; Sunday: 1200; Monday: 0100; Tuesday: 0600.
