If you’ve listened to much music from Morocco, then you will be familiar with Gnawa. It is often fast-paced, intense and hypnotic, with speedy polyrhythms designed to take people into a trance. Gabacho Maroc have their roots in Gnawa, but their approach is more mellow and exploratory, drawing on influences from all around the world.
From the very first full track Bouderbala, the polyrhythms quickly take hold, with claps and krakebs playing perfectly interlocking parts. As it progresses, there is much more that builds in; spacey pad sounds on the key- board, smooth, multilayered horns, even the occasional burst of French rapping. The musical styles vary throughout to keep you engaged. Dara has an ’80s funk sound, at times like a Moroccan version of one of Stevie Wonder’s later rocking numbers. Desertum is a dreamy, inquisitive piece with rich deep voices and a more spacious arrangement. Laabid is a reggae rock tune, and Btassem is a more experimental piece, where the jazz influences that are ever-present on the album really come to the fore.
All in all it’s very well produced. Even with such a range of styles of songs – and with a different guest artist on almost every other track – the overall mix and mastering is so smooth that all songs blend together seamlessly to create one richly textured sound. The title means “connection”, and this is certainly a very well-connected group of musicians. Their rhythmic precision and combination of separate parts on tracks like Amara Moussaoui are second to none.
Gabacho Maroc have only been together for five years, but in that time have played over 200 gigs in festivals and events around the world, and are on their way to doing much more.
10h10-music.com
Joshua Coppersmith-Heaven
article posted by:Vincent Thomas, Gabacho Maroc