Al Hadaoui

Al Hadaoui was the group Attarazat Addahabia's debut album, recorded in 1972 but for some reason never released. And now we get to hear it in all its glory. The group are from Casablanca, Morocco, and their music is a mix of psychedelic and experimental rock and funk that wouldn't have sounded out of place in San Francisco or LA during the same time period, though they, of course, also bring in a unique African flavour to the music.

The opening title-track shows this off the best: it starts with that recognisable rhythm of the Gnawa played on the qaraqab (metal castanets) before they're joined by bluesy-funky electric guitar (which is stunning throughout), Afro-Latin percussion, an all-female chorus and eventually Faradjallah's charismatic vocals. If it weren't for the Arabic language, you could even be forgiven for thinking this record came from Nigeria or Cameroon, such is the importance of its large and interlocking percussion section.

A great thing about the music is that the band obviously don't take themselves too seriously, making this record a lot of fun – keep an ear out for the track ‘Aflana’, based on Beethoven's ‘Für Elise’ – and that really helps to bring it all to life and drives home that 70s sound.