Oudaden

This tape of music from Morocco appears here thanks to Jon Leland, who says:

There appear to be only 4 track titles but the first side has three tracks. one is shorter though so it might be part of one of the others, i just don’t know which one.

There is a road that goes from Marrakech into the Ourika valley at the foothills of the Atlas mountains and ends at the Setti Fatma waterfalls, a small tourist attraction. There are small homes, cafes, and hotels alongside the road the whole way up, and at some point I stopped at a cafe which was next to a booth filled with tapes and cds. I tried to ask the vendor for a suggestion but there was just too much and he didn’t play anything that really caught my ear. Then while I was eating and watching women who lived in the valley washing carpets in the river down from the road, this tape came blasting out of the booth. Drenched in reverb and delay and accompanying the view of clouds moving across the mountains in front of me, it was a magical sound, so I bought the tape. Later I listened to it over and over driving through the Sahara with no A/C.

Oudaden is the plural of oudad, which I think is the animal depicted on the covers of almost all of their tapes. The arabic on the cover just says Oudaden so I guess this tape has no title.

 

Side 1
Ibadl Zmane
Itine Al Hame
Track 3

 

Side 2
Bab Noujmile
Aman Ya Dnine Aya

20 Comments

Join the discussion and tell us your opinion.

  • October 14, 2008 at 5:47 am

    lovely Berber music. ram-theme a plus!

  • October 17, 2008 at 9:32 pm

    to steal your phrase, these are jams by which to live

  • October 17, 2008 at 9:35 pm

    oh shit

  • October 21, 2008 at 2:31 pm

    Oudaden are one of the most famous berber music groups from the souss. If you have a chance, catch them live at the timitar festival each year in july in agadir/morocco. 100.000 people celebrating their music. :-)
    b*indi

  • October 23, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    Wow – I’m glad the music in no way resembles the cover art. This is absolutely gorgeous. Great production too. Not that I really come to this site to hear great production, but it certainly adds a lot here. Wonderful. Thanks!

  • October 28, 2008 at 9:20 pm

    These gentlemen on the cover do resemble Borat and scream trippy Syrian pop. The actual music, however, is much more refreshing and unexpected. Very niiiice.

  • November 8, 2008 at 9:23 pm

    I’ve recently discovered Moroccan music … and I’m glad i found this blog.

  • November 23, 2008 at 11:17 pm

    this is outstanding, beautiful music. thank you.

  • December 17, 2008 at 11:31 pm

    It’s a beautiful group i love their song, there is the official blog http://oudadenelfoua78.unblog.fr/ all their lives in different cities and countries enjoy it!

  • January 2, 2009 at 1:31 am

    yeah, this is one of the best one’s i’ve heard, right up there with Boubacar and Mahmoud Guinia. Righteous.

  • January 10, 2009 at 6:23 am

    and to think i would have missed this one if not for the mudd up post with track 3…

    one of my favorite tapes yet. so incredible.

    looking forward to more great finds in 09!

  • January 11, 2009 at 11:14 pm

    these gentlemen are simply very good thank you for this website I knew not :
    http://oudadenelfoua78.unblog.fr very nice thks

  • January 28, 2009 at 1:54 am

    Beautiful stuff, thank you

  • February 8, 2009 at 10:49 pm

    i was on that very same road not two weeks ago on my way to the falls. i know the tape stall. although the cassette vendors don’t always find something to fit your fancy, aren’t they amazingly generous in morocco letting you listen to and unwrapping almost anything?? anyway, thanks for this post. i collected a big ol bag of cassettes over there and would love to share them too. i’ll find a way damn it. until then….

  • April 15, 2009 at 9:08 pm

    Awesome.
    Thanx a lot.

    -Allisone-

  • July 14, 2009 at 3:31 pm

    i don’t kno a thing about moroccan music but i love this!

  • July 25, 2009 at 8:13 pm

    I’ve just posted another great Oudaden album over here:

    http://snapcrackleandpops.blogspot.com/

    Thanks for all the amazing music, you’ve provided me with countless hours of pleasure.

  • January 11, 2010 at 9:54 am

    it’s Awesome.

  • February 11, 2010 at 5:51 pm

    hi man how are you doing???,
    thank you for posting these best oudaden’s songs
    by the way am a moroocain student and i have been loking severaal times for these songs especially this album but never find it in moroccains’s albums and i was surprized when i found them lastly in your own blog
    thnks you so much and if you want more about this groupe just contact me
    warho2006@hotmail.com

  • April 10, 2010 at 10:13 pm

    Hello from Agadir Morocco!!!

    I really surprized when the non Moroccan citizens loved oudaden music!!!! I believe you don’t understand what Abdellah Elfoua(the singer and banjo player of oudaden groupe) saying when he singing but you loved just his magical tunes LOL,

    Well,thanks for ur atention to this type of traditional berber music
    Live Morocco,Souss

    I’m Abdellah,

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