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December’s Bossaphonik event takes place on Friday 17th and features Electric Jalaba, a band who conquer new musical terrain. At the core of the sound is the Moroccan trance-inducing ritual music of gnawa taken into contemporary dance territory bringing in Jamaican dub and psychedelic electronic layers.The band is centred around Moroccan master gimbri player Simo Lagnawi who’s ecstatic Arabic vocals are joined by Italian/British drummer Dave De Rose and four musical brothers from Dorset, UK on guitar, bass, percussion and electronics. The six musicians have a musical empathy that feels telepathic. They have a deep respect for the North African gnawa and its consciousness raising healing vibrations. This band want to take the music somewhere new, and have indeed made music which has never been done before.
Harry Keen, the eldest of the four brothers has a background in electronic dance music and became aware of the synergies between gnawa and electronic music. Repetative beats, elongated song structures, the feeling of being lost in the groove with trance-inducing effects are common to both types of music. The songs themselves are at times traditional and about exotic themes such as colourful spirits, mysterious women and men that divide oceans and armies of conquerors. The words are weaved around enormous infectious grooves, analogue effects and warped guitars.
The band have been championed by Gilles Peterson (BBC Radio 6) and have played at some of the biggest festivals in the UK and Europe such as Bestival, Latitude and Wilderness. This Bossaphonik gig is part of a UK tour to promote the bands recently released third LP “El Hal” culminating in a New Years Eve show at the Camden Jazz Cafe. The album is their most impressive and fullest work to date from the band’s 10 year history.
“Frenetic Anglo-Moroccan sextet infuse gnawa trance rituals with Comet Is Coming-style synth-jazz prophecies. Good attitude! Uncut Magazine
“A strong album that is exploratory while remaining well rooted in tradition” Songlines Magazine
“Bringing the otherworldly sounds of electronic trance music to Moroccan ritual gnawa” New Internationalist
Check out two 1 minute studio videos of Electric Jalaba:
And a live video:
Following the live gig is a Bossaphonik club session with DJs Bossaphonik Dan and DJ Badger til 2am spinning:
Jazz Funk * Afrobeat * North African grooves * Central African Rumba * Latin Jazz * Brazilica * Cumbia * Latin Hip Hop * Balkan Beats * Arabian Fusion * Soul Jazz * Electro Swing * Future Soul * Nu Jazz Bizniz!
Friday 17th December
Bossaphonik Presents Electric Jalaba
Cowley Workers Social Club, Between Towns Road, OX4 3LZ (near Cowley shopping centre. Frequent Bus 1 or 5 from City Centre runs til 3am)
9pm – 2am
Live band starts at 10pm
**Please respect others in this covid climate and only attend this event if you are double vaccinated or have had a recent negative covid test within 24 hours of the event**
Hope to see you there!
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Cowley Workers Social Club, OX43 Oxford, UK, Oxford, United Kingdom
Tickets
GBP 12.1 to GBP 13.2
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