From the remote Bargou valley in the barren mountains of northwest Tunisia, this is the sound of deeply traditional music emerging triumphantly into the contemporary world. Rooted in the physicality of the local environment, recorded in an improvised studio constructed from bales of hay, it is a visceral and thrilling ride through time and space. Led by the hypnotic and resonant gasba flute, Sofyann ben Youssef’s moog rhythms seem to harness the essence of powerful indigenous spirits, driven on by a battering of percussion that will shiver your timbers. Project leader Nidhal Yahyaoui’s raw impassioned vocals in the throaty Targ dialect carry a folklore history and tell stories of loves unrequited and lost. A rare and perfect balance of tribal tradition and musical modernity.

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