Ahlam

Ahlam represents the second Moroccan electro-trad act whose work reached distribution via Switzerland’s Barbarity label, after Aisha Kandisha’s Jarring Effects. Within world-music contexts the band distinguishes itself by pairing djembe and mandolin with rai-type vocals over electric guitar, bass, and electronic sampling. By Moroccan standards the group proves more radical still, fusing indigenous traditions with Western rock, dance, and dub while expressing pointed lyrical views. The liner notes of the debut, for instance, champion a “non-violent intifada”; one track functions as a “call for peace between Araba & Jews.” Revolt Against Reason mixed Moroccan pop with left-field sound effects and electronics. Bill Laswell co-produced the follow-up, Messages from Arabs, lending it a more club-friendly character through programming and sampling even as it forfeited some of the first album’s unpredictable spark.