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Bab L' Bluz is a Moroccan-French rock band that was formed in
Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...
in 2018. The band consists of lead vocalist Yousra Mansour, gimbri player and multi-instrumentalist Brice Bottin, flautist Jérôme Bartholomé, and drummer Hafid Zouaoui. As an exponent of the "Nayda" artistic movement in Morocco which places emphasis on local heritage, Mansour provides vocals in the Moroccan Arabic dialect of
Darija Maghrebi Arabic (, Western Arabic; as opposed to Eastern or Mashriqi Arabic) is a vernacular Arabic dialect continuum spoken in the Maghreb region, in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Western Sahara, and Mauritania. It includes Moroccan, Alg ...
. Bab L' Bluz take inspiration from a wide range of musical styles such as
Gnawa music Gnawa music (Ar. ) is a body of Moroccan religious songs and rhythms. Its well-preserved heritage combines ritual poetry with traditional music and dancing. The music is performed at ''lila'', communal nights of celebration dedicated to prayer ...
, blues, Chaâbi, and
Afrobeat Afrobeat is a Nigerian music genre that involves the combination of West African musical styles (such as traditional Yoruba music and highlife) and American funk, jazz, and soul influences, with a focus on chanted vocals, complex intersecti ...
.


History

Bab L' Bluz was formed in 2018 by Yousra Mansour and Brice Bottin. Mansour grew up in
El Jadida El Jadida (, ; originally known in Berber as Maziɣen or Mazighen; known in Portuguese as Mazagão) is a major port city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, located 96 km south of the city of Casablanca, in the province of El Jadida and the ...
while Bottin was born in
Savoie Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population o ...
. Bottin held an interest in Moroccan music and had already worked with local artists in Morocco before he met Mansour in 2016. Together they were a part of the Marrakesh Jazz Beat collective and were both interested in the trance sounds of traditional
Gnawa The Gnawa (or Gnaoua, Ghanawa, Ghanawi, Gnawi'; Arabic: ڭناوة) are an ethnic group inhabiting Morocco. The name Gnawa probably originated in the indigenous language of North Africa and the Sahara Desert. The phonology of this term accordi ...
instruments like the gimbri and the awicha. They composed the ten songs that would make up their first album ''Nayda!'' in 2017, and in 2018 were joined by long-time
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...
-based friends Jérôme Bartolomé and Hafid Zouaoui who provided additional instrumentation for the band. ''Nayda!'' was released on 5 June, 2020 to positive reviews. Critics praised the band for their ability to blend multiple genres together as well as for their faithful representation of Moroccan musical tradition. In 2021, Bab L' Bluz released the song ''Waylalah'' in collaboration with French electro duo Synapson.


Influences and inspirations

Bab L' Bluz take major inspiration from blues music. The band's name literally translates as "gateway to the blues" in Arabic. Bottin stated that "We wanted to remember that the blues, so closely linked to America, stems from African music." He elaborated that “The African blues includes other pentatonic music: Mauritanian hassani, the Berber music found in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, the music of Mali, which is the true source of the blues, as well as the true source of Gnawa music.” The band frequently pay homage to and collaborate with various North African artists. ''Nayda!'' features a cover of the poem ''Waydelel'', which was originally written by famous Mauritanian musician
Dimi Mint Abba Dimi Mint Abba ( ar, ديمي منت آبا‎; 25 December 1958 – June 2011) was one of Mauritania's most famous musicians. She was born Loula Bint Siddaty Ould Abba in Tidjikja in Mauritania. 1958, into a low-caste ("iggawin") family s ...
. Their song ''El Watane'' features vocals from fellow Gnawa artist Mehdi Nassouli. As a teenager, Mansour attended the
Gnaoua World Music Festival The Gnaoua World Music Festival is a Gnawa music festival held annually in Essaouira, Morocco. It was founded in 1998 by A3 Groupe, a private event-organizing company located in Casablanca. The festival provides a platform for a meeting point o ...
in
Essaouira Essaouira ( ; ar, الصويرة, aṣ-Ṣawīra; shi, ⵜⴰⵚⵚⵓⵔⵜ, Taṣṣort, formerly ''Amegdul''), known until the 1960s as Mogador, is a port city in the western Moroccan region of Marakesh-Safi, on the Atlantic coast. It ha ...
every year with her parents. She credits this as the reason for her love of Gnawa music and African blues. She also cites Hamid El Kasri and
Nass El Ghiwane Nass El Ghiwane () are a musical group established in 1970 in Casablanca, Morocco. The group, which originated in avant-garde political theater, has played an influential role in Moroccan chaabi (or ''shaabi''). Nass El Ghiwane were the firs ...
as influences on the sound of Bab L' Bluz. Mansour is a feminist, and explains that she has faced criticism for choosing a career in music as a woman. She mentions female musicians such as
Oumou Sangaré Oumou Sangaré ( bm, Umu Sangare; born 25 February 1968 in Bamako) is a Grammy Award-winning Malian Wassoulou musician, sometimes referred to as "The Songbird of Wassoulou". Wassoulou is a historical region south of the Niger River, where the ...
and
Fairouz Nouhad Wadie' Haddad ( ar, نهاد وديع حداد, ; born November 21, 1934), known as Fairuz ( ar, فيروز, ; also spelled Fairouz, Feyrouz or Fayrouz), is a Lebanese singer. She is considered by many as one of the leading vocalists an ...
as being a positive influence on her. Despite the range of genres and influences they draw from, Mansour has stated that "More than anything we’re a rock band, we use the awicha as a guitar and the gimbri as a bass, both at different tunings. We channel our huge range of influences into music that crosses borders and travels through time.”


Discography


Albums


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bluz, Bab L' Moroccan musical groups French rock music groups Moroccan musicians French musicians Blues musicians Republic Records artists Desert blues North African music