Folk Bands and Artists

Electric Jalaba

London

https://www.electricjalabamusic.com

Electric Jalaba: Eclectic groove adventurers Soundspecies and Moroccan Gnawa Master musician Simo Lagnawi have teamed up to create some deep Psychedelic Gnawa Funk. Simo is the leading UK player of the Guembri – a traditional lute-like stringed instrument made from camel skin. With a mesmeric voice and dance moves to match he is a charismatic and engaging performer, swiftly gathering fans since his move from Morocco to the UK.

The music Soundspecies and Simo make together taps into both Simos deep, often mesmerising traditional Gnawa music from Morocco and the band’s own multi-faceted musical background. It’s an original and uncontrived fusion of musical inuences with the a nod to the worlds of jazz, techno, funk, psychedelic rock and Desert blues. Ancient songs from the Gnawa tradition about mysterious women, men that divide oceans and armies of soul conquerers weave themselves among enormous infectious grooves, analogue effects and warped guitars. The sound of the camel skin Guembri and Lagnawi’s impressive vocals will transport you to another world as the band boil relentlessly through a range of beautifully unearthly grooves. Expect inexhaustible energy, moments of soulful calm and pinnacles of ecstatic mayhem, plus some dance moves, you’ve definitely never seen before.