2023-09-01 18:30:05
Every Friday, The World Africa presents three new musical releases from or inspired by the continent. This week, direction Montpellier, where is held, from Tuesday September 5 to Sunday September 17, the 18th edition of the Arabesque Festivalwhose objective is to highlight the arts and culture of the Arab world.
This year, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the twinning between Montpellier and Fez, a particular emphasis is placed on the Moroccan scene, with in particular, in the opening concert at the Opéra Comédie, the singer Nabyla Maân accompanied by the Arab- Andalusian of Fez, but also a “carte blanche” granted to the Festival Gnaoua and world music of Essaouira, on September 9 at the amphitheater of the Domaine d’O.
The event welcomes recognized artists and new talents, some of whom have already appeared in the musical selection of the World Africa such as Cri du Caire, Natacha Atlas or Aziz Sahmaoui. And if traditional music is well represented there, the festival also gives pride of place to fusion, with artists mixing oriental and electronic sounds.
Aziz Konkrite
It is a familiar name for Montpellier parties. The Franco-Moroccan DJ Aziz Konkrite will be on the decks on September 7 at the Halle Tropisme, as part of a “sound system” hosted by the Lyon label Shouka, which specializes in the fusion of electro and traditional music from the North. African. At his side, Tunisian producer Ammar 808 and the duo formed by percussionist Imed Alibi and beatmaker Khalil Epi. Aziz Konkrite will present his project “Siba Sawt-System”, which revisits 45-rpm records from the 1960s and 1970s through electro, funk and hip-hop influences. Kinder Surprise, promising first extract from the upcoming album, was released in June by Shouka.
Jaouad El Garouge & Alright Mela
On September 14, it will be the turn of the Angevin duo Alright Mela and the singer of Moroccan origin Jaouad El Garouge to take control of the Halle Tropisme and keep the promise of the festival, which aims to be “an invitation to trance”. Their recipe: electric oud, psychedelic synth, electronic beats and fight songs. Alright Mela, whose name means “everything is fine” in Malta – an island at the crossroads of the Maghreb and Europe -, released an EP (extended version) of the same name in August 2022 after developing the project for five years. Markus & Shahzad with a Pakistani singer. It will be followed by Rust, a Beirut-based duo that intends “challenging traditional notions of Arab identity”.
Zar Electric
Finally, on September 16 at the Domaine d’O, the Marseille trio Zar Electrik, whose name refers to the “zar”, a ritual from Ethiopia and Egypt and which allows healing through trance by accessing the world of spirits, will open an evening dedicated to “the emerging scene of North Africa and the Levant”. Composed of Anass Zine (oud and guembri), Arthur Péneau (kora) and Did Miosine (keyboards), the group released its first EP in April, Hawa, in which he merges Gnawa trance, sub-Saharan music and electro. Other “discoveries” of the festival presented the same evening: the project “Aïta mon amour”, by Moroccan rapper Widad Mjama and Khalil Epi, and the Palestinian trio Gheilan.
Find all the musical favorites of the editorial staff in the playlist YouTube of World Africa.
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