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Marrakech Emballages Ensemble 3

Marrakech Emballages Ensemble 3

a review by Stephen Fruitman of
release format Marrakech Emballages Ensemble 3 by Think of One (ZONK 007)

text

Think of One is a Belgian outfit that took a trip to Marrakech in 1998 and never came back, musically at least. During its visit the group were introduced to the spectacularly wild female vocal and percussion trio B'net Houaryet, a Gnawa named Abdel Kebir Esager, and a handful of South Moroccan master instrumentalists.

Mutual admiration and understanding has thus far resulted in three wonderful CDs which may be among the best examples of cross-cultural collaboration to be found on today's market - not a hint of "appropriation" or "Orientalism" here, this is true give-and-take.

Called 'Marrakech Emballages Ensemble' 1, 2 and 3, respectively, the first is full-throttle, the second dampens the mood just a smidgen, and the latest adds Magrehbinian violinist Mustafa Bourgogne (a celebrity in the genre known as "shabi"), and a jolly tuba to give the sound even more bottom. Lots of Berber song, Flemish dialect, a bit of French, Arabic melisma, plenty of instrumentals (trancey, dancy, tango and more than a hint of dub), plenty of joyous song, rhythms swaying and/or swirling, and an overall contagious freshness. The right kind of "clash of civilizations" for the 21st century.

Posted by Stephen Fruitman at 18:52, 31 Jan 2003