Ahlam

The second from the Moroccan electro-trad bands to get their music written by the Barbarity label in Switzerland (Aisha Kandisha’s Jarring Effects were the very first). From the specifications of globe music, Ahlam is definitely unusual, utilizing traditional instruments such as for example djembe and mandolin, and rai-type vocals, against some guitar, bass, and digital sampling. From the specifications of Moroccan music, they’re downright radical, not merely within their mix’n’match of indigenous music with contemporary Western rock and roll, dance, and dub, however in their lyrical attitude. The liner records to their 1st album, for example, advocate a “nonviolent intifada”; among the tracks is intended to be always a “demand peacefulness between Araba & Jews.” That debut record, Revolt Against Cause, was a smorgasbord of Moroccan pop and left-field sound files and electronics. Expenses Laswell co-produced the next album, Communications from Arabs, that includes a even more club-friendly experience (specifically in the encoding and sampling), but manages to lose a number of the unstable inspiration of the prior recording.