The Rough Guide to Morocco

There are two approaches to compiling these kind of one-hour musical guides. You can opt for the historical overview. Or you can concentrate on presenting a snapshot of the current scene. The early releases in the Rough Guides series took their inspiration from the Rough Guide to World Music, largely following the book's template of presenting a comprehensive guide to the different styles and eras that brought us to where we are today. But as the original releases in the series have been updated, there seems to have been a subtle change in emphasis and an inclination to the ‘contemporary snapshot’ model. Compiler Andy Morgan has gone for the latter approach, spotlighting a new Moroccan generation which has ‘lost its fear and found its voice… redefining Morocco's cultural identity and reinventing the country's creative magic in its own’, At a time when retro nostalgia seems to be sweeping the musical world, this concentration on new music is refreshing. There are older performers represented; but only if they are still relevant and remain part of the modern musical architecture, such as the late chaabi singer Samy Elmaghribi and the timeless sounds of the Master Musicians of Joujouka. But the bulk of the compilation is given over to hip-hop groups such as H-Kayne and Fnaire, the Hendrix-influenced sound of U-Cef and the updated chaabi fusion of Mazagan. Indeed, the latter are given an entire second bonus disc of their own for the group's appealing mix of traditional Moroccan crooning and urban beats drawn from rock, reggae and rai.