Moroccan Tapes

https://moroccantapes.com/rouicha-tichkaphone-tck-791

Rouicha - Tichkaphone TCK 791 This is a fantastic ensemble led by Rouicha. A group of men with confident and bold harmonies, a group of women with powerful belting voices, and Rouicha leading the dance create an entrancing three-way call and response. On the last track "Akrakh Awa Anmoun (أكراخ أوا أنمون)," notice h...

https://moroccantapes.com/rouicha-tichkaphone-tck-783

Rouicha - Tichkaphone TCK 783 This is another great Rouicha album among the dozens he recorded over his career. This one is all in Darija and features love poems by Hussein Said (حسين سعيد). Although this genre tends to focus on the lyrics and love themes in either Darija or Tamazight languages, instrumental tracks are r...

https://moroccantapes.com/cheb-fathi-hay-matic

Cheb Fathi - Hay Matic (هاي ماتيك) Cheb Fathi, most commonly known as Cheikh Fethi, was an Algerian Raï (misspelled on the cover, Ray, as in Ban) singer from the city of Oran. Although this artist is not Moroccan, the tape seems that it was either recorded/distributed or bootlegged in Morocco. Fethi was and is still revered by Moroc...

https://moroccantapes.com/pinhass-el-zine-el-masrar

Pinhass - El Zine El Masrar (الزين المسرار) Pinhass Cohen is undoubtedly one of the greatest stars of Moroccan wedding ceremonies. Born in Place Verdun, a famous Jewish quarter of Casablanca, Pinhass grew up immersed in music. His father, Azar Cohen, was a talented amateur musician and oud player. Although Pinhass pursued studies at an engine...

https://moroccantapes.com/hamid-zahir-lalla-fatima

Hamid Zahir - Lalla Fatima (اللا فاطمة) Born Hamid Ben Tahir, Hamid gave himself the name Zahir in reference to Zahiriya, the neighborhood in Marrakech he grew up in. As early as 1956, Hamid revealed his talents as a singer, oud player, and band leader. Faithful to the Chaabi tradition his predecessors like Houcine Slaoui developed, Hamid...

https://moroccantapes.com/bziz-baz-philips-7168-510

Bziz & Baz - Philips 7168 510 Bziz (Ahmed Snoussi) and Baz (Houssine Biniaz) were a legendary comical duo from the 80s. Bziz, meaning rascal, and Baz, meaning falcon, were appropriate stage names for their unapologetic stand-up routine. They were known for seamlessly juxtaposing absurd skits and Chaabi musical interludes, while....

We know we've been MIA for a while, thank you for your loyal engagement despite the radio silence. Moroccan Tapes is back and has refurbished the website with improved streaming and searching capabilities, in the hopes of bringing you an overall smoother interface.

https://moroccantapes.com/

Moroccan Tapes This is a collection of cassette tapes made available for streaming, downloading, and sharing. Most of the tapes are only available in Morocco.

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/47

Taifa Ahl Touate - Mnouât Touatiya (منوعات تواتية) This is a great Issawa tape of the Ahl Touate denomination headed by Mohamed Blahssan (محمد بلحسن), who has led his collective of rotating young and veteran musicians for decades in Fes. This tape is particularly well recorded and produced. The use of strategic panning (headphones recommend...

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/46

Saha Koyo - Vol. 2 - SACAV S147 Here's the much anticipated second installment of the Gnawa fusion experiment between Hamid El Kasri and Issam-Issam as Saha Koyo. Although it is pretty common to come across Gnawa fusion nowadays, especially at the annual festival held in Essaouira, the success of such collaborations depends on man...

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/45

Nass El Ghiwane - Chants D'Espoir This is a reissue on the Hassania label of some of El Ghiwane's greatest songs. The album title "Chants D'Espoir" means "Songs of Hope," yet most of these tracks leave hopeless feelings to listeners. Considering how subversive and bold they were, one couldn't expect less irony. The cover art speaks....

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/44

Nass El Ghiwane - Echams Ettalâa (الشمس الطالعة) There are certain artists in this world who are only known for a selection of their works. Then you have groups like Nass El Ghiwane, who are celebrated for their entire anthology. "Echams Ettalâa (الشمس الطالعة)," meaning "The Rising Sun," is one of their early successful EPs released ...

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/43

Lhoucine Amntag - Milodisk MDK 1061 Raïs Lhoucine Amntag, also spelled Amantag, is one of many Rwaïs (plural of Raïs) of the Amarg tradition that preserved and carried the expansive repertoire of Raïs Lhaj Belaïd, who is considered the godfather of the genre. This rich art form is centered around sung poetry, most of which was co...

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/42

Cheikh El Maachi - Sawt Lahbak 100-99 (صوت لحباق) Aita, meaning call or lament, is a centuries old musical genre and form introduced by the Arab tribes that settled in the Moroccan countryside. The music is not only a rallying of the local communities, it is also a poetic gesture of lamentation. The singers, usually female (Cheikhates), riff on a v...

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/41

Orchestre Jedwane - Fassiphone 209 Born in 1967, Mokhtar Jedwane is one of Morocco's most popular Chaabi singers. Beginning with wedding gigs, he quickly learned all the popular songs and proved himself as a great singer. He then attended the National Music Conservatory in Rabat in order to equip himself with the right tools to write...

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/40

El Arbaoui Miloud - Arbaouiphone 02 El Arbaoui Miloud is a very talented and respected musician who earned his place in the Chaabi hall of fame. This tape is from his early career when he was influenced by a trend set by artists like Stati, wherein they incorporated the Mid-Atlas Zayan style of backup female singers belting the respon...

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/39

Izenzaren - Arphone ARC 1 Izenzaren, also sometimes spelled Izanzaren (as shown on the tape), is one of the most pioneering Souss musical groups that would set the stage for the Tagroupit trend of the 70s and 80s. The political context of a recently decolonized country and a mass urbanization which led to an increasingly ove...

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/38

Archach - Agharass Agharass (أغاراس أغاراس) Archach have been releasing albums practically every year since their debut album in 1980. This record includes one of their most popular hits "Agharass Agharass (أغاراس أغاراس)," a popular North African phrase set to a bluesy anthem. "Agharass" literally means "the path," however the fu...

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/37

Dahmane El Harrachi - A 0321 Dahmane El Harrachi, born Abderrahmane Amrani, is the Algerian godfather of Chaabi, very much like Houcine Slaoui in Morocco. Although this tape is technically not Moroccan, Dahmane was and is still revered by Moroccan Chaabi lovers, who consider his records a staple of their personal collections. D...

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/36

Houcine Slaoui - Cleopatre CLE 207 Houcine Ben Bouchaïb, better known as Houcine Slaoui, was the godfather of modern Chaabi music and all of its subgenres. Anyone who has spent time with Moroccans knows that comedy accompanies every facet of life, especially in music and dance. This cultural idiosyncrasy is largely due to artists li...

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/35

Rouicha - Tichkaphone TCK 980 Here's a standout tape among the dozens recorded by Rouicha on Tichkaphone. This one is probably from the mid to late 80s, when it became popular to use an excessive amount of reverb on everything. Where in most cases it would be an indication of poor taste, the use of reverb on these records echoes...

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/34

Rouicha - Tichkaphone TCK 819 Born in 1950 in the city of Khenifra and sadly passing in 2012, Mohamed Rouicha was undoubtedly one of a handful of Morocco's most influential artists of the last fifty years. Rouicha dedicated his whole life to the art of the loutar (4 string Amazigh instrument related to the oud) and the preservat...

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/33

Zakia - Tichkaphone TCK 1228 Zakia Yakhlef is a talented and versatile musician from the city of Tanger, hence her nickname Zakia Tangawiya (زكية الطنجاوية). Inseparable with her violin, whether plucked or bowed, she manages to make it sound effortless and easy when in fact it is probably the hardest instrument to ...

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/32

Aziza El Meknassia - Sawt Bab Manssour (صوت باب المنصور) With fans all over the country and Europe, Aziza El Meknassia is one of Morocco's celebrated pop stars. Known for adapting repertoire from various traditions like Issawa, Gnawa, Reggada or even Aita in a pop-friendly way, Aziza has contributed in the appreciation and preservation of these old songs....

https://moroccantapes.com/tapes/31

Nass El Ghiwane - Hommage A Boudjemaa This tape, from 1975, is a tribute to the late Boudjemâa (or Boujmii) who had just passed away the prior year. Nass El Ghiwane were now the long-lasting quartet that most fans remember: Lâarbi Batma (tam-tam & vocals), Allal Yaala (banjo), Omar Sayed (bendir & vocals), and Abderrahmane "Paco" Kiro...