\"Saoui began to take shape after an accidental trip to Morocco. After some time traveling across Europe, I landed to Jama El Fna square in Marrakech. There was something in the way people gathered to share music that excited me. The relationship between Moroccan and Latin rhythms was there in a very subtle but enigmatic way. I was soon dancing like a crazy tourist, not quite understanding why I was moving in such a free way.
The rest of the trip was a lot about understanding that initial experience. Researching about the different kinds of music there, exploring the capacities of local instruments, playing and hanging out with local and foreign musicians, reflecting a lot in WHY do human beings make music! The place was very complex, but as I understood the music better, I connected more with the place and the people.
After the trip, I couldn't stop thinking about Morocco. I was continuously remembering rhythms and sounds from there. There was something I wanted to share and that's how I started recording stuff. The composition process was a lot about experimenting with textures and resonances that reminded me the sensation of the place, but that inevitably took on a life of its own and created a different landscape than the one I knew.
The base of music is mostly made with electronic instruments, but there's sounds and sample from different instruments of the region like the lotar, a 3-string ancient banjo with goat skin resonator, the qraquebs, metal castanets, and the moroccan congas, clay drums used traditionally in berbere music. There ́s also field recordings of snake charmers in Marrakech, the Essaouira beach, camels in the Merzouga Desert, or the mosque speakers resonating in the streets of Fez.
