Vian & Maalem Najib Soudani - Mogador [Modern Obscure Music]

Format: LP in printed sleeve.
CAT: MOM054

“Mogador” is presented as a fascinating exploration of the meeting point between musical worlds that would seem irreconcilable: the experimental universe of analog electronic music and the profound tradition of Gnawa music. This project goes beyond a simple juxtaposition of styles; it is a meeting of visions where the ancestral and the contemporary, the analog and the organic, intertwine in a fluid and natural sonic dialogue.

What truly distinguishes “Mogador” is the way Pedro Vian uses the EMS AKS Synthi and the Buchla without imposing on the mix; on the contrary, he achieves perfect synergy with Maalem Najib Soudani’s qrebeb and guimbiri. Instead of competing, the analog pulses intertwine with the hypnotic lines of traditional instruments, enhancing the inherent trance character of Gnawa music. The Maalem's voice, imbued with history and spirituality, floats over layers of synthesizers that feel both ethereal and tangible, constructing a soundscape as cinematic as it is visceral.

This is not simply a clash of cultures or a superficial exercise in fusion. “Mogador” represents a genuine dialogue between two ways of understanding sound and space, where each element —from syncopated percussions to sinuous modular waves— contributes to creating a sound environment as unsettling as it is deeply resonant. Here, tradition does not function as a museum piece and analog electronics do not appear as rootless futurism; on the contrary, both mutually transform to give life to something that surpasses the sum of their parts.