The French-Italian-Tunisian band is back with a new album titled Laylet el Booree to be released on April 5th on Glitterbeat Records. Unveiling their music video for ‘He Eh Lalla’.
European Post-Punk musicians Gianna Greco and François R. Cambuzat originated this project, travelling through the desert in Tunisia to investigate and confront the religious ritual of the Banga, a ritual of legendary intensity indigenous to the region.
Their original intention was not to join in the ritual but rather to research how this unique ceremony delivered “pure elevation” to its participants. After sometime living in the desert, three members of the Banga community – Tarek Sultan, Yahia Chouchen and Youssef Ghazala – joined forces with Gianna and Francois to create Ifriqiyya Electrique.
Ifriqiyya’s music was never composed for a Western audience in the first place, rather it is a contemporary and unexpected hybridation, that the band calls a “post-industrial ritual”. “Laylet el Booree” translates as the “Night of the Madness” and refers to the last part of the annual gathering of the ritual from the Banga of Tozeur, the night when the spirits actually take possession of the bodies.
This music video embodies quite well the blend of Banga ritualism and Noise Rock sounds, showing videos of the ritual in a punk-ish DIY aesthetic.
Revisit our review of their previous album.
Laylet el Booree will be out on April 5th on Glitterbeat Records. Pre-order it now.
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