Dounya
Global Sonics (50 mins)
Gnawa Youmala are a multinational, multigenerational Paris-based six-piece, and with this debut album, they reshape Moroccan Gnawa music with their own refreshing twist.
Where the Sufi ceremony of the Gnawa is often loud and intense, Gnawa Youmala turn it into something light and airy, without actually changing all that much. Alongside the traditional guimbri (bass lute) and qaraqab (metal castinets), the group add violin and banjo, which fill the upper register of the music and add a uplifting element, helped along by colourful percussion and the ensemble’s all-acoustic nature. Across ten tracks, the group also bring in influences from Berber and Arabic music and further afield into reggae and jazz, but it never strays too far from the source to raise any confusion of what is most important here. For all their innovation, Gnawa Youmala lose none of the enchanting depth that makes Gnawa so powerful.
Featuring alumni from Global Gnawa and legendary Moroccan outfit Nass El Ghiwane, Gnawa Youmala have pedigree when it comes to creating feel-good, lightly poppy music from traditional sources. This is an impressive debut, respectful of the roots while being an easy, breezy listen.