Gnawa Diffusion

http://www.rfimusique.com/siteEn/biographie/biographie_6086.asp

France has had a long tradition of producing bands specialised in 'métissage' (musical fusion). Listening to the rich musical cross-over in the work of Gnawa Diffusion, it appears that this term might very well have been invented to define the innovative new sound of Amezigh Kateb's band.

The members of Gnawa Diffusion, who are based in Grenoble in the South East of France, come from a rich mix of musical and cultural backgrounds. Fusing their individual influences into a collective sound, Gnawa Diffusion have woven elements of rap, ragga, jazz, reggae and rai into a vibrant musical patchwork.
The group's name is a reference to the Gnawa, a tribe from Western Sudan who were deported to North Africa in the 16th century by the rulers of Fes and Algiers. While the Gnawa were officially converted to Islam by their new masters, they continued to worship their own African gods in private.
Protest Group
The way Gnawa Diffusion see it, this historic tale of people uprooted from their homeland and forced to begin a new life in a foreign land is remarkably similar to the lives of modern-day immigrants growing up in France. Indeed, the group's lead singer, Amezigh, son of the famous Algerian writer Kateb Yacine, considers himself to be a 20th century version of the Gnawa. Amezigh, who arrived in France in 1988 at the tender age of 16, has been closely involved with the struggle to defend immigrants' rights and abolish racial prejudice. When Amezigh formed Gnawa Diffusion in 1992 he saw the group as an alternative means of getting his political message across. Amezigh, Gnawa Diffusion's lead singer and songwriter, writes his lyrics in three languages, Arabic, French and English.
Gnawa Diffusion got their career off to a flying start in 1993 with the release of a mini 5-track album entitled "Légitime différence". Following the release of their CD album the group began to concentrate on their live career, setting off on an extensive tour of France and performing concerts with a host of French stars including FFF, Zebda, Massilia Sound System and Princess Erika.
"Ombre-elle"
Gnawa Diffusion's innovative musical fusion and the hard-hitting lyrics of their protest songs have certainly made them one of the most prominent new groups on the French music scene. The group's new single "Ombre-elle" and their album "Algéria" (released earlier this year on GDO) have only served to increase their popularity - and Gnawa Diffusion's live shows are now beginning to attract an impressive number of fans!
Talking of live shows, one of the highlights of Gnawa Diffusion's recent career was their two-day appearance at the "Rencontres des Cultures Urbaines", an urban music festival held at La Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris in November 97. The group's impressive performance, which fused electric instruments with an interesting acoustic section, brought the house down at La Villette. Those who missed this rare musical treat needn't be too disappointed - Gnawa Diffusion are planning to devote the whole of 98 to touring!
The year certainly got off to a good start with the highly successful "Chibani Tour" - Gnawa Diffusion's personal 'homage' to the past. The group's lively on-stage performances attracted huge audiences across the country, and when Gnawa Diffusion performed in their home town, Grenoble, in the spring of 98 more than 5,000 loyal fans turned out to applaud them.
Gnawa Diffusion returned to the studio in January '99, setting to work on their second album "Bab El Oued-Kingston" (which was released in May). The album featured the group's habitual fusion sound, but this time round Gnawa Diffusion also began experimenting with traditional music, recording their own innovative version of "Chara'Allah" - a song that is three hundred years old! Following the release of the album, Gnawa Diffusion hit the road again, kicking off an extensive tour in Toulouse. Towards the end of the year music fans flocked to see the group playing concerts all over Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Gnawa Diffusion also performed at various music festivals throughout the summer of '99.
Gnawa Diffusion rocketed back into the music news in June 2000 with a new album entitled "Bab El Oued 2". At the end of that year the group also headed out to perform a tour of Algeria and flew back there again in 2001 for a mini-series of four dates. Renowned for their energetic live performances, the group returned to the festival circuit in the summer of 2001.
Coming back from the Algerian tour, the band released a double live album entitled Live DZ--the first live album ever recorded during a tour in Algeria.
Souk System
After four musicians had left and four others had come to join the band, Gnawa Diffusion would be composed of Pierre and Philippe Bonnet (bass and drums), Pierre Feugier (guitar), Mohamed Abdenour (banjo, mandola), Abdel Aziz Maysour (guembri), Salah Meguiba (keyboard and percussions) and, as always, Amazigh Kateb.
The band’s new album, "Souk System", came out in June 2003. Sung in French, Arabic and English, the lyrics were more political than in the previous albums. They referred to international news, denouncing and satirizing the events. As for the music, it consisted of the usual mixture of reggae and raga muffin, chaâbi and Gnawa music.
As soon as summer started, the band set off on tour again.