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Road To Essaouira

16/09/2016Make Way For A New Collaborative Project Between Bologna's Fawda Trio and London's SwamiMillion AKA LV
 

Three years in the making, Bologna-based Original Cultures imprint is set to release a captivating collaborative project by Bologna's Fawda Trio and London's SwamiMillion (better known as production duo LV) out into the open. 

"Road To Essaouira" is the musical outcome of a three-year journey from Bologna, via London, all the way to Morocco's Essaouira that "captures the spirit of Gnawa music through the lens of African-American traditions".

The album was "recorded over a ten-day period back in 2014, fusing Gnawa with jazz, hiphop, electronic, and modern classical ideas for a unique take on this traditional Moroccan music, rich in history and potential". Alonside original tracks by Fawda Trio as well as two reworks by SwamiMillion, "Road To Essaouira" covers traditional Gnawa and Moroccan works, recomposed "using keyboards, percussion, gembri, voices and samplers" and also includes a feature by "Gnawa master" Maalem Soudani.

Officially releasing on September 30th, make your way to the imprint's Bandcamp page for a behind-the-scenes clip as well as two tracks streaming in full.

"Road To Essaouira" is a vibrant example of how tradition can be preserved, but is also open artistic reinterpretation with fascinating results. Watch an early trailer below or listen to a beat snippet in the SoundCloud player above.

AUTHOR: Lev Nordstrom