Following the release of their first album, Nayda!, in 2020, Yousra and her band illustrate their enchanted and colorful universe with a new visual that blends pop culture and gnawa trance.
In June 2020, Bab L’ Bluz released their first album Nayda! meaning “standing up” or “awakening,” in reference to the pluralistic, contentious artistic revival of urban youth. They were inspired in particular by the revolutionary Moroccan group, Nass El Ghiwane, which was omnipresent in the 1970s.
A year later, the group unveiled the video for “El Gamra,” an ode to the moon, which has the power to soothe souls like Gnawa music heritage they draw cues from. Bab L’ Bluz celebrates the therapeutic power of this genre and invites us to enter into the trance they create. Yousra says: “Gnawa music is restorative music. You understand it as soon as you hear it.” The video, directed by Alden Volney, is reminiscent of Andy Warhol’s works, offering a clever mix between gnawa music, psychedelic rock, Moroccan traditions and contemporary pop culture.
Find Bab L’Bluz in our Songs of the Week playlist on Spotify and Deezer.
