Babdoukkala

Born in Sydney, Australia to a Moroccan father and an Australian-Polish mother, multi-instrumentalist Julian Belbachir is a talented percussionist, ngoni player, composer-producer and an instrument maker. For the past ten years he’s been the drummer for Aussie ‘electric-dreamtime-roots’ band OKA – whose indigenous frontman Stuart ‘DidgeriStu’ Fergie recently passed away. Having travelled and studied extensively in Guinea, Senegal and Morocco, Belbachir has been slowly crafting this debut for six years and it shows.

Carefully selecting an impressive array of musicians to bring it to fruition, songs like ‘Wassa’, ‘Babalarabi’ and the title-track are often delicately intricate, occasionally majestic and really quite stunning. Featured guests include Australian-based African musicians like Malian master guitarist Moussa Diakite, Senegalese singer Lamine Sonko (Public Opinion Afro Orchestra), Guinean muso Malin Sylla and Oz keyboardist Ollie McGill (The Cat Empire). But Belbachir’s main collaborator is producer-musician Alex Richardson who envelops the recording in a warm atmospheric glow. Surprisingly gentle for a percussionist’s album, Belbachir’s own contributions are both subtle and enticing, creating a swirling amalgam of Gnawa-inflected North and West African rhythms and melodies. Thoroughly authentic, while blending related cultures with a modern twist, Belbachir and Richardson’s meticulous attention to detail succeeds in crafting a first-rate album of considerable beauty.