Brahim Fribgane
Born and raised in Morocco, Brahim Fribgane brings to his music the rich and varied musical styles he grew up with: North African, Gnaoua, Amazigh/Berber, Arabic, and Andulusian music. His oud style ranges from the clear, "singable" melodies of folkloric Berber songs to beautifully complex and soulful Arabic music, to the fusion of jazz, samba, reggae or Indian music.
In 2010, Fribgane performed at the World Festival of Black Arts in Dakar, Senegal. He has recorded with artists including Harry Belafonte, Paula Cole, Club d'Elf, Jamsheid Sharifi, Leni Stern, DJ Logic, Malika Zarra, Morphine, among others.
Soultana
Soultana is a pioneer of Moroccan rap. She founded and led the all-female hip-hop group Tigresse Flow after becoming interested in rap music when she was 14. In 2003, Soultana launched the Allstar Casablanca festival with nine other Moroccan MCs. Soultana shot to fame in 2008 upon winning the first Ouf du Bled award and The Mawazine Generations Prize. Over the years, she has become a staple of the Moroccan rap scene. Soultana has collaborated on many projects, compilations, and mixtapes, and has performed in over 30 concerts including the Oslo World Music Festival and the Festival de Mùsica San Sebastian. She has also been active as a juror in rap competitions and in producing hip-hop concerts throughout Morocco. Following her hit "Mazal,” Soultana recorded her first album, addressing problems facing her generation including poverty and violence. Through her art, Soultana aims to spread the message about issues affecting Moroccan women and youth.
Soundwalk: The Passenger
Soundwalk is an international sound collective based in New York City. In the early 2000s, Soundwalk made its name by producing cutting-edge audio guides, mixing fiction and reality to provide an exclusive and poetic discovery of a city, on the bridge between Baudelairian stroll and cinematic experience. Critically acclaimed, Soundwalk has won several accolades including the Audie Award in 2009 for the Beijing and Shanghai Louis Vuitton series, as well as the Dalton Pen Award in 2005 for the Ground Zero Sonic Memorial with Paul Auster, and the 2004 Audie Award for the Bronx Soundwalk with Afrika Bambaataa. Over the past 10 years, Soundwalk has collected, distilled, and re-interpreted sounds from all over the world to create immersive sound journeys, radically modern in their conception. Soundwalk's art projects range from site-specific installations to geo-specific performances that include sound, video, and custom-made objects. Soundwalk has performed and exhibited at leading museums and cultural institutions around the world, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris, MADRE Museum of Contemporary Art in Naples, Shanghai World Expo, Abu Dhabi Biennial of Art, Maison des Arts de Creteil, and Chanel Mobile Art.
Mustapha Bakbou
Born in 1954 in Marrakech, Mustapha Bakbou learned the art of Gnaoua from his father, Master El Ayachi Bakbou. Bakbou was raised in a Gnaoua spiritual school, where his father initiated him into the Gnaoua musical tradition at a young age. In the 1970s, Bakbou joined the musical group Jil Jilala, which rose to prominence at the height of the folk music movement. Bakbou has collaborated with a number of renowned artists, including jazz great Pat Metheny, and has performed in China, Europe, and North America. Bakbou’s performance with the American dance troupe Step Afrika was one of the most acclaimed performances at the 2010 Essaouira Festival of Gnaoua and World Music
Mahmoud Guinea
Born in 1951 to a Gnaoua father, Mahmoud Guinea spent twenty years studying Tagnawit, the art of Gnaoua music and performance, with his father. From the age of twelve, he began playing the guembri, a three-stringed lute, and at twenty, he started participating in Gnaoua ceremonies. Mahmoud Guinea is also a master in mixing musical genres, and has collaborated with legendary artists including Carlos Santana, Adam Rudolph, Will Calhoun, Issaka Sow, Aly Keita, and others. At the 2010 Essaouira Festival of Gnaoua and World Music, Guinea partnered with the Mauritanian vocalist Daby Touré for an unprecedented tradition-bending performance
Hassan Hakmoun
Born in 1954 in Marrakech, Mustapha Bakbou learned the art of Gnaoua from his father, Master El Ayachi Bakbou. Bakbou was raised in a Gnaoua spiritual school, where his father initiated him into the Gnaoua musical tradition at a young age. In the 1970s, Bakbou joined the musical group Jil Jilala, which rose to prominence at the height of the folk music movement. Bakbou has collaborated with a number of renowned artists, including jazz great Pat Metheny, and has performed in China, Europe, and North America. Bakbou’s performance with the American dance troupe Step Afrika was one of the most acclaimed performances at the 2010 Essaouira Festival of Gnaoua and World Music.
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