Pictures kind courtesy of Dave Rimmer
Moroccan sufi trance group the Master Musicians Of Joujouka once again welcome guests to their village in the Rif Mountains next summer for their eighth annual festival. Early bird booking for the three-day event, set for June 5-7 2015 is open now, with spaces limited to 50.
The festival gives guests the opportunity to see the Master Musicians Of Joujouka play their ancient sufi trance music in an intimate setting. Over the weekend the Master Musicians perform a wide range of traditional music, with folk sets including lira, oud, violin and drums, during the day and blasts of sonic drone from the double reed rhaitas and polyrhythmic drumming with the ritual Boujeloud performance late into the evenings. Get a taster of what to expect below, with footage from last year’s festival at the foot of the piece:
During their stay visitors can experience life in the village, staying with the musicians and their families and eating traditional home cooked and locally sourced meals. All food and refreshments are included in the ticket price, along with transport to and from the nearest main train station, Ksar El Kebir, accessible from all major cities in Morocco.
The festival has been running since 2008 to mark the 40th anniversary of Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones’ visit to the village, when he recorded the landmark album Brian Jones Presents The Pipes Of Pan.
For full detail and tickets, head to the festival’s website. If you can’t wait until then, a special event is set to be held in the village next month as part of celebrations to mark the centenary year of William S. Burroughs. The American writer described the group as the "4,000 year old rock & roll band" and visited Joujouka with his friend, the artist and writer, Brion Gysin, when they were both living in Tangier. In his book The Ticket That Exploded lengthy passages weave his experiences of the music and the "Pan God Of Panic" into the cut-up text.
On Saturday 15 November, the Master Musicians will host a day and evening of music, with all meals and accommodation for the evening included, plus transport to and from the village from Ksar El Kebir. The day ties in with the European Beat Network Conference in Tangier, held from November 17, which is this year marking the centenary of Burroughs’ birth. Full details and tickets for that are here, with information on the conference here.
