Deciphering Culture

The Virtual Maghreb:  ”The digital world has created greater access for artists, particularly those from small markets whether due to geography, language or genre. Particularly good news for alternative artists in small countries and that brings us to alternative music artists in Morocco. The virtual world has created a platform for alternative artists in Morocco (hip-hop, fusion, rock, electronica, singer-songwriters) that was hardly imaginable 10 years ago.” {Click on the link to read more}

Reda Allali of Casablanca rockers Hoba Hoba Spirit

The Virtual Maghreb:  ”The digital world has created greater access for artists, particularly those from small markets whether due to geography, language or genre. Particularly good news for alternative artists in small countries and that brings us to alternative music artists in Morocco. The virtual world has created a platform for alternative artists in Morocco (hip-hop, fusion, rock, electronica, singer-songwriters) that was hardly imaginable 10 years ago.” {Click on the link to read more}

Reda Allali of Casablanca rockers Hoba Hoba Spirit

_The Blues Metaphor_ (Moroccan Roll column from Vol. 27 #4) — discusses the often-tenuous use of the blues as a metaphor to describe and pigeonhole genres of popular and traditional music, particularly music from Africa or the African diaspora).

Tinariwin -- a "bluesy" Tuareg band

_The Blues Metaphor_ (Moroccan Roll column from Vol. 27 #4) — discusses the often-tenuous use of the blues as a metaphor to describe and pigeonhole genres of popular and traditional music, particularly music from Africa or the African diaspora).

Tinariwin -- a "bluesy" Tuareg band

“The Sentir is a Whole Civilization” (Moroccan Roll column from Vol. 27 # 3) — A look at the use of Gnawa music, particularly the sentir (or hajhouj), in Moroccan pop music from the ’70s Folk Revival (i.e., Nass el Ghiwane) to “fusion” efforts of the last decade in Morocco, Algeria and beyond

Gnawa sentir of hajhouj

Family Ties (my first “Moroccan Roll” column in The Beat in 2008) — Tarik Batma was an early member of the fusion movement in Morocco in the 1990s. He is also belongs to an influential musical lineage, the Batma family: his father and uncle were prime movers in the ’70s Folk Revival (Morocco’s first fusion movement).

Tarik Batma

Family Ties (my first “Moroccan Roll” column in The Beat in 2008) — Tarik Batma was an early member of the fusion movement in Morocco in the 1990s. He is also belongs to an influential musical lineage, the Batma family: his father and uncle were prime movers in the ’70s Folk Revival (Morocco’s first fusion movement).

Tarik Batma

Article on Bigg in the Moroccan press

Don Bigg Works the Room (February 2009 article on Moroccan rapper Don Bigg — published at Afopop.org)  - I interviewed Don Bigg in 2008 in Casablanca and he told me about his work and gave me a primer in Moroccan rap styles. Steeped in the history of hip-hop, Don creates music that is firmly rooted in Morocco without using Moroccan musical material (an approach that hasn’t worked for many others) and is one of the most significant voices as Moroccan hip-hop comes of age.