Beatkozina, a London / Marrakech multi-instrumentalist duo, present the ‘Merhba’ EP on Compost Records, with an uplifting Afro-house-meets-Chicago-loft vibe. An electrifying and virtuosic performance.
‘Merhba’ means ‘welcome’ in Arabic and it’s a traditional Moroccan Gnawa song, revisited with an Afro house touch combined with a lofty Chicago house feeling, packed with Ron Trent/Joe Claussell influences.
Beatkozina is an electronic and world music duo based between London and Marrakech made up of Mehdi Naami (DJ, musician, and producer) and Gregory Jouandon (jazz drummer, pianist, composer, and producer). Both multi-instrumentalists, they share a strong passion for electronic music as well as world music. Beatkozina is the fruit of this interesting artistic encounter. Their collaboration draws its energy from the Afro matrix as well as a wide range of influences from North African, the Middle East, Indian traditional music, jazz, and Afro-Latin music.
Their sound is tied to researching African rhythmic and pentatonic mutations within new ecosystems including Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States. They perform a connection between Electro and Afro trances through the identification of Moroccan rhythmic patterns, minimalism, transposition, and confrontation producing a tribal, complex, contemporary sound that carries a subliminal message of universality and identity at the same time.
Listen to ‘Merhba’ EP here
Press release courtesy of Only Good Stuff
