In the 90s world music got hooked on the trance that can be stirred up by gnawa, the ritual music of the slaves who were taken from West-Africa to the north of the continent. This genre hit the heights in Paris via the captivating and joyous musical blend of gnawa, rai, rock and reggae created by Algerian-Moroccan-French Orchestre National de Barbés. The cult status of the band is further enhanced by the fact that they rarely give concerts and throughout their ten-year existence they’ve only released two albums (En Concert, 1997 and Poulina, 1999). Following their 2004 show, they return to the Sziget this year – to give a concert that’s definitely not to be missed.

http://www.orchestrenationaldebarbes.com/