CHIBANI

Description

Its origins lie in the music of their fathers, Gnawa instrumentalists and percussionists, learning to perform on stage while also learning to walk. Originally from Boudnib, a small Moroccan village in the Ksar Souk of Errachidia, Abdul learned from Moroccan Gnawa tribes in Merzouga, as well as from Algerian and Mauritanian tribes. They gather here, in the souk, to enchant villagers and traders who come together to sell or barter fabric, vegetables, pottery, and more. Abdul sings, listens, plays, and learns his craft in the school of sound and the open road. After years spent honing his skills, notably with the group Babeloued Sound, this notorious rhythmic trafficker gradually met the future members of the Gang. Hailing from all walks of life—Breton Bedouins, airwave pirates, sonic bandits—the troupe united and blended their expertise. Together, they concocted a new sound that draws from the East and the Maghreb, incorporating Chaâbi melodies and Gnawa rhythms, and confronting them with the groove and arrangements of funk or Afrobeat. From this fusion of genres, Gnawa Funk was born.