Winner of the 2021 Prix Syli D’Or and acclaimed by local media, Boulila immerses its audiences in the Gnawa groove while each concert conjures up mystical whispers and an infinite desertscape. Yassine Boudouch and his first-class musicians, who hold Morocco close to their hearts, proudly carry on the legacy of their predecessors.

Boulila was formed in 2016 by four friends who launched themselves onto the city’s bar circuit, an urban incubator that saw the flourishing of their dream fusion: Afrobeat, blues, jazz and funk. Boudouch’s lyrics took the Gnawa tradition into a whole other realm. Packed with sunny energy, the band displays its own distinctive style. Guembri meets New York’s backstreet saxophone vibe, as if Morocco were at one with both the African continent and the Western world! An evocative fusion forming a perfect nomadic echo against a backdrop of dunes rising in the distance, such is Boulila’s music, graced with lyrics by Boudouch.

A festival is the perfect setting for this band. If you’re looking to be entranced, free to jump up without a care in the world, this Moroccan quartet’s open invitation will not disappoint…