Empreinte

Oudaden’s imprint Oudaden hails from the Souss region in Morocco. After more than 25 years of tremendous success on the Amazigh scene, they have taken their trance-inducing music to some great international stages and become the ambassadors of the Amazigh, the large Berber community of South Morocco. This cult band started in the late 70s in a suburb of Agadir, when four friends aged 18 to 25 started to play together on makeshift instruments, just for the fun of it. The bandleader, songwriter, singer and banjo player Abdullah el Foua has been pursuing the specific Souss tradition of the Rwayes, the late 19th-early 20th century poets and musicians who drew their inspiration from the audiences they were addressing. Both rooted in the tradition and totally modern, Oudaden, “the mountain sheep of the Atlas” (a name that evokes pride, courage and freedom) have asserted their festive music style and attracted an increasing number of followers. This album presents new songs and songs that had never been recorded before. This is an important step for Oudaden: this new release will help them to further spread the musical culture of the Amazigh the world over.