So psychedelic it literally comes with a warning label: Moroccan-French,
award-winning fusion group Bab L’Bluz just dropped a video for
their new tune “El Gamra.”
For those who can tolerate a lot of flickering light—I mean, a lot of it—here we go:
The band is fresh from winning the Songlines Music Award 2021 FUSION category and
a five-star review from Songlines magazine for their album Nayda!. The
tune is a celebration of the moon and its restorative powers,
inviting us all to join in the nayda movement, a word that
means both “rise up” and “party” and is a nickname for the
wave of Moroccan artists and musicians who celebrate local traditions
and sing songs of freedom.
“Gnawa music is healing music,” frontwoman Yousra Mansour says
via press release, “You know this the moment you hear it.”
Of course, that Bab
L’Bluz absolutely rips is not news to longtime Afropoppers, but it’s
great to see them getting some love. You can pick up a copy of Nayda! in its entirety right here.
