Morocco music reviews

There are several musical styles put together to create an amazing sound. I love every song on the CD!

Abdy Finek one of the most Popular Artist From Morocco his music is pop not rai.

This is my first approach to rai and algerian music. Abdy's voice and the great instrumentation make this CD a must have. The CD contains both dance tracks and slow pieces with great lyrics.

If you are not totally won over in the first few SECONDS of the opening track, well, you're hopelessly SERIOUS. This is fun, fun, FUN and it follows its own rules. Catherine's zesty vocal acrobatics are astounding and delightful and the music is SO infectious and timeless. This could've benefitted from a bit of editing, at 14 tracks, it gets a BIT same-y sounding, but, that's nit-picking, and you get more bang for your buck. If you'd prefer your dance music to have gusto and surprises, then consider checking this out...

This is one of the most espectacular CD that I have. Catherine is the best singer of the world. Rita�s Rules.

A ne pas manquer..

While many modern pop releases from the arab world dissappoint those familiar with traditional arabic music, this album retains the driving heartbeat rhythm, call-and-response structure and emotional vocals that make the traditional music so powerful. Najat Aatabu's voice is the real deal: raw and inspiring. She sings, sometimes crtically, about the future of her country and the role of women in it without discarding the traditions that make her music strong.

If you like North-African or middle-eastern crossover "pop" at all, this disk is a must have! Aatabu's voice is entrancing and powerful, and occasionally almost too good. This one of those disks that tends to get one hopelessly transfixed all the way through. I can't say enough about this recording.

Great album my Morocco's Queen of Berber slam. A mix of traditional and electric I like the liner notes very much and found the article by S. Davis to be very enlightening. Great pictures in the booklet. A rarity. Meaningful and strong feminist lyrics against a pulsing grinding rhythm section. Great for parties and reflection.

This album is nothing short of brilliant - everything that a release that is the fusion of two seperate cultures should be.

If you want to hear the fusion between flamenco and arabic music, this is the record that you need to hear.

With musicians form spain, and arabic countries, makes a great atmoshphere.

You travel to the past, to Cordoba, Granada. The old Al Andalus. You feel in the Alhambra.

Before I heard this artist, the Gipsy Kings were my idols...Compared to them, Juan Pena Lebrijano is a God!

After receiving the Rough Guide to World Music book as a present, I was anxious to expore their recorded works. Of them all, this is my favorite, a journey from trance music, to the influences by or from the Indian subcontinent. This is a great introduction to the varied styles, with contemporary examples. As the Rough Guide cd's are somewhat ecclectic in their variety, this is either a great place to start your journey in this music, or a excellent way to expand your tastes. You may not like everything on the cd, at least at first, but it will open a whole new world.

After a Christmas present of the Rough Guide to World Music book, I was impressed with their printed product. The cd is equally impresssive, as it takes you on a great caravan of North Africa, with a survey encompassing the mystic drone of Morocco and Algeria, to the Indian type music. A great survey, easy to lose yourself in, if this type of music is for you. If you are not familiar with this music, try this cd. You may not like everything, as the Rough Guide thankfully does not play things safe, and can put together an ecclectic, and admirable, cd.

j'adore ce type de chanson et sur tout Chamaa et esfin

This cd demonstrates the musical genius of the 70's Moroccan group Jil Jilala; hard driving North African rhythms, all acoustic instruments, beautiful lyrics and vocals. There are 4 tracks of about 15 minutes each. The same material is available on the cd titled Jil Jilala on the Baraka Foundation label.

This is another great barbarity release & another pat jabbar programmed and produced album. pat also used this tremendious still on the beautifle album azzddine with bill laswell massafat which is the best eastern asian dub album ever. but this came out about 4 years earlier and is great for the time. i will worn you that some of the songs are a but fast and techno e. but most are excellent downtempo electronic and semi industrial with dub effects and eastern elementz. the singin on this is also amazing and fill's the album extremelly well, especially the godess natach atlas who orignally worked with transglobal underground and moved to solo career with transglobal, all in tongue. i think that some of the ahlam stuff is ok but not up to the realm of this even with the likes of bill laswell. so take a chance on this one and discover the truelly amazing sounds that are barbarity. fans of transglobal undergroung, temple of sound, samsara sound system and asian dub electronic. full review from barbarity web site

Dar Beida = Casablanca in Arabic; 04 = Popular and intense part of the city; Impiria = Place in the old medina, where all started !
Casablanca, summer 1997, Bill Laswell`s incredible Ambient album "Lost in Translation", gave Abderrahim Akkaoui and Pat Jabbar the impulse to start a new project, focusing on instrumental Chill Out soundscapes. The first tracks were recorded 1997/98 in Basel. They sounded very smooth and calm, not one human voice, no beat, loop or bassline was to be found. But one track, "Mesk El Lil", had by accident a strange rhythmic cycle from a keyboard pad, so to accentuate it, a little loop was added to the song. The reaction was: Wow, let`s introduce also a kick, a bassline.... and the Ambient track was completly gone ! Slowly this also happened to all other tracks and the decision was taken to do a "real" Ambient thing at another time.
During this period, French distributor Night and Day, had a press attach� working on the Sapho album. Her name was Mady. By accident or by "Mektoub" (destiny), she was and still is one of Nina Hagen`s best friends. From that moment on, the idea of an only instrumental album was gone too ! The rest came automatically ... If having a track featuring Nina, why not also asking Sapho for a participation.
roskilde, summer 1998, AKJE plays the festival with Orchestre National de Barbes and Natacha Atlas. After her show, the chance was given to meet her and to exchange some words as the addresses.... with the help of her husband Abdullah Shahadi, who played some great Kanun parts to the track, another instrumental track was gone.
Sevilla, March 2000, AKJE plays a festival with Manu Dibango and B-Net Marrakech, a fabulous Sheikhat-combo, driving people crazy with their deep performances. They also appear on seven songs on Rachid Taha`s new album "Made in Medina". A few weeks later in Marrakech, their voices on "Wydadi Ahlam" got recorded at Cheb Youssef`s studio under very spacy circumstances.... !
At the same time, Youssef`s 18 years old sister Aisha Al Majjad pops in and is agree to record one track too, which became the chilling lover-trip of "Hemak Bzef". Back in Casablanca, good old friend Jalal (from Mara & Jalal), had the excellent idea to introduce Amina Ray to Dar Beida 04. She has already two tapes out in Morocco and does not only seem to redefine the next Ra� generation, but could also become very soon the next big Moroccan Ra� thing. And again another instrumental track got ticked off the list.
The web, strange, mysterious and consequential connections. Nobody knows where Maha comes from. She appears on the darkest night of the month to deliver words and strength from the Goddess. Or was it just another religious dream again ? Preparing the small AKJE tour of 2000, a club in Paris who`s famous for Arabic fusion nights, got asked to book the band. While talking to the clubmanager about the new releases and the guests, he said : "...do you know Amina Annabi from Tunisia ? here`s her number...", the answer was : "wow, sure, we will call her right away, let`s reduce all these instrumentals". With the help of her accordion player Sami, the very engaged but peaceable Palestinian support track "Fet Li Fet" became the perfect balance to the slightly more direct and agressive "Intifada-contribution" of Ra� singer Vicky from Oujda.
Since seven years living in Z�rich, he is still musically more focused on the Moroccan market and has several tapes out. Young Turkish Hip Hop crew from Basel Makale, (album out on Barraka this year), comes with a heavy bonustrack and a serious affront to xenophobia.

WOW! Just what I have been looking for: danceable devotional techo-enhanced music. AMAZINGLY PUT TOGETHER - THE NINA HAGEN ~ 'DURGA-KALI MANTRA' IS OUT OF THIS WORLD! MAHA'S 'TO THE GODDESS' - creepy, powerful & sincere! Thank You!

This album is a must for all freaks being into lounge and chill out sounds. its a wonderfull world of Arabic voices mixed with electronica at its best. featuring guests such as Nina Hagen, Natacha Atlas, Amina Annabi.... BUY IT !!!

At it's most basic level this recording represents the finest example of field recordings available. David Castellan deserves significant recognition for this remarkable recording. We are presented with an honest, thoughtful, and insightful selection of songs and performance that make up a portion of the music of the Gnawa people.

First off, the impact of the recording can not be underestimated. To have this living example of this cultures' music is exceedingly rare, even more rare to have one presented with little or no western embellishment. To hear the pure sound of a cultures' most intimate music is truly a gift. What we are presented with is a selection of songs that showcase not one mans' (Abdelah Ghania) spirit, but the spirit of the Gnawa people.

The subtle, trance-like state that is invoked from listening to this recording is reminiscent of great recordings by Middle Eastern, East Indian and African artists (artists of the long view, the drone...) and the great recordings by David Lewiston. If you are unfamiliar with Lewiston's recordings, it would behoove you to find his recordings on the Nonesuch label. The drone, the even tempo, the subversive quality of Ghania's playing is worthy of so many re-listenings it's almost overwhelming.

I have been listening to this recording for about a year, and every time I listen to it it provokes me into thinking about topics, things, states of being that I'm unaccustomed to, it sends blood to the tips of my fingers and charges the air around me. Any fan of Gnawa music should get this recording without hesitation, any fan of African music should add this to their collection, any indigenous music fan should consider this a document to treasure. There is nothing here to dislike and there is everything here to gain. The truth is in the listening, listen...please.

this cd is hot.it is chill and you will like it. if you like the world then like this mellow mood.

This is a great collection that shows how different cultures sing to God and Invoke the Divine in their own unique way. African drumming, South American pan pipes, Hindu song, Native American chanting, and much more. Very uplifting and enjoyable.

This album is a great collection of tracks that truly get you in the mood to have an elevated frame of mind. They are great for doing yoga to etc. I am an aficionado of musical traditions from around the world and in almost all cases found this compilation's selections to both be authentic and fun to listen to. I usually do not recommend compilations of any sort as they tend to use either very poppy or "cheap tracks" but this compilation shows thought and understanding of the musical traditions it represents.

IF you haven't heard of ALabina, boy are u at a loss!!. Not only is she beautiful, she is also talented. She is not like the pop singers out there. Her music clearly stands out and I will never get sick of listening to her. Most of her songs have a great beat to it (for to dance/exercise to) and the slow ballads are very sensual. Doesn't matter what language you speak, she sings in Spanish, French, English and also Arabic. She is like Shakira but ONLY BETTTER. PLEASE give this CD a try YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. (fyi, my fave is the first track and Kiss; also check out her other CD-IShtar) ENJOY!!!!

La Voix D'alabina is an albun for the world. Alabina's vocal range combined with the beautiful instrumentalism of the band Ishtar is worth the purchase of this import. In this recording, there is a fine range between the up beat discoteque tracks and the sensual mystique of the ballads. The music goes from romantic to menacing.

Admittedly, I am not proficient in Spanish, nor do I yet speak Arabic. I have to agree with another reviewer, unquote, "that the music speaks for itself."

I wish more of this music could be played in the U.S. I only found out about this album while shopping at an International Bookstore in Manhattan.

This is my first Ishtar CD Album and I heard her voice from her Alabina group. I have been listening to the Alabina music and I really enjoyed the music, the difference in the compilation, the mix of Arabic and Spanish beats and rhythms. Makes for good dancing music. Even the slow ballad numbers are also very good - makes you sway and day-dream of romantic stroll on sunset beaches. Though I don't understand the meaning of the lyrics (I don't speak French, Spanish or Arabic) but I love the sound of the language.