Korzo Zaal
Gnaoua Electro Live
| Performers | DeDeXgrande (AKA Efe Erdem) & Aziz Ozouss |
| Duration | 145 min |
During Gnaoua Electro Live, the concept of hybrid music takes on a new meaning. Traditional North African sounds swirl together with modern electronics into a transcendent experience. Two live musical performances will get you dancing: Trans Sahara Electro and Elements of Baraka. Expect a tribute to the rich Gnawa tradition, progressive trance, jazz influences, warm acoustic sounds, group singing, and truly innovative soundscapes.
Trans Sahara Electro
Trans Sahara Electro is a danceable musical performance where North African history and the present come together under the direction of Efe Erdem (DeDeXgrande). With live electronics and trombone, alongside musicians from the Marmoucha Orchestra and special guest Aziz Ozouss, a previously unheard sound emerges filled with jazz, rock, beats, vocals, percussion, guitar, and traditional North African instruments.
Elements of Baraka
Elements of Baraka celebrates the spiritual power of Gnawa music and the Sufi ritual of the hadra, rich in collective singing, rhythm, and repetition. Adil Smaali draws you into an almost shamanic trance, while building a hybrid sound together with producer and trumpeter Lakay and percussionist Miloon. Here you hear overdriven guembri, tribal percussion, and subtle touches of dub and techno. Their modern approach sheds new light on the centuries old hadra, while honoring the sacred essence of this musical tradition.
The music of Trans Sahara Electro draws inspiration from the historical trans-Saharan trade routes, long-standing corridors that connected regions across North Africa and beyond. These routes were not only channels of commerce, but also spaces of exchange for music, stories, and cultural traditions. At the same time, this history carries a darker layer, particularly through its connections to the slave trade.
This complexity resonates in a live electronic set infused with North African, Eastern, and Arabic influences.
Efe Erdem, who has previously collaborated with artists such as Marcus Miller and Tony Allen, composes in real time using live electronics, complemented by his trombone. Marmoucha Orchestra and Aziz Ozouss join the performance, contributing their own musical narratives, while visual projections bring urgent contemporary themes such as climate change and sustainability, into a tangible, immersive experience.
Join the journey.
The second performance in the line-up is Elements of Baraka. More information will follow.
Efe Erdem is a versatile trombonist and producer from Rotterdam. Since his studies, he has built an impressive career. He currently teaches trombone at Codarts Rotterdam (where he also studied) and collaborates with many leading artists such as Candy Dulfer, Re:Freshed Orchestra, Di-rect, and Doe Maar, as well as international figures like Marcus Miller, Tony Allen, and Roy Hargrove.
With his latest project, DeDeXgrande, he brings together his passion for electronic music, jazz, and world music into a unique, boundary-pushing sound.
Aziz Ozouss, originally from Biougra in the Souss region of Morocco, is a virtuosic player of the taloutart and an expressive vocalist. Rooted in the Rways tradition, yet constantly exploring new possibilities, he weaves authentic Amazigh melodies with contemporary influences such as jazz, rock, world music, and Gnawa.
In Trans Sahara Electro, his playing and singing form a bridge between heritage and contemporary sound, connecting tradition with modern musical languages.
Korzo Zaal