Araw N Fazaz

Araw N Fazaz (translated as "Sons of the Middle Atlas") is a musical formation that represents the new face of Amazigh (Berber) music from Morocco.

The group was formed in 2016 in the Khenifra region from the meeting of the French oud (Arabic lute) player Léo Fabre-Cartier and the young virtuoso Younes Baammi, who plays an instrument called the lotar and is a student of the famous Mohamed Rouichy. The sextet is based on the traditional music of the mountainous Middle Atlas (the so-called music of the sheikhs, whose roots go back to the 1950s), but unlike many other Berber groups, it places great emphasis on instrumental precision without losing the original spontaneity. In their work, they uniquely combine male and female vocals, percussion, Moroccan lutes and European violins, which the musician holds in a vertical position, as is customary in Eastern countries. The band performs at world music festivals (e.g. Roskilde Festival in Denmark or Respect Festival) and recordings from their performances or studio sessions include compositions such as Sal sal, Our Idam or Ahidous Yssafri Ou7bibinou.