{"id":96,"date":"2020-09-22T17:52:20","date_gmt":"2020-09-22T17:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/2020\/09\/strongbab-lbluz-smashing-debut-now-out-from-stronga-hrefhttpsrealworldrecordscomnewsnayda-by-bab-l-bluz-is-out-now-digitally-targetblankstrongreal-world-stronga\/"},"modified":"2020-09-22T17:52:20","modified_gmt":"2020-09-22T17:52:20","slug":"strongbab-lbluz-smashing-debut-now-out-from-stronga-hrefhttpsrealworldrecordscomnewsnayda-by-bab-l-bluz-is-out-now-digitally-targetblankstrongreal-world-stronga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/strongbab-lbluz-smashing-debut-now-out-from-stronga-hrefhttpsrealworldrecordscomnewsnayda-by-bab-l-bluz-is-out-now-digitally-targetblankstrongreal-world-stronga\/","title":{"rendered":"Bab L’Bluz Fuses Gnawa, Blues & Rock"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The debut album by Moroccan-French four-piece Bab L’Bluz is out now on all digital platforms. The album’s title Nayda!<\/em> refers to a new youth movement of Moroccan artists and musicians taking their cues from local heritage, singing words of freedom in the Moroccan-Arabic dialect of darija (\u2018nayda’ means both \u2018to rise up’ and \u2018to party’).<\/p>\n

“More than anything we’re a rock band,” declares frontwoman Yousra Mansour, who sings, ululates and fires riffs from her goatskin-covered awicha [small guembri] like some Berber warrior goddess. “We use the awicha as a guitar and the guembri as a bass, both at different tunings. We channel our huge range of influences into music that crosses borders and travels through time.”<\/p>\n

We saw Bab L’Bluz perform live in Montpellier, France in September during the 15th annual<\/strong> Festival Arabesques<\/strong><\/a> and they were amazing. <\/strong><\/p>\n

(Stay tuned for an interview with Yousra Mansour coming out soon in TMR.)<\/p>\n