Morocco's Bab L'Bluz Perform Live

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Morocco's Bab L'Bluz Perform Live" – All Of It with Alison Stewart

Release Date: April 23, 2025
Host: Alison Stewart
Guest: Yusra Mansour and Bryce Potin of Baba Blues
Performance: Live in WNYC Performance Studio

---

Introduction to Baba Blues and Their Latest Album

In this vibrant episode of ALL OF IT, host Alison Stewart welcomes listeners to a live performance by the Moroccan psychedelic rock band Baba Blues. The band is currently touring the United States following the release of their latest album, "Swakin". Alison introduces the band members and sets the stage for an engaging conversation about their music and cultural influences.

Alison Stewart [00:38]: "I'm Alison Stewart and we are live now in the WNYC performance studio with Moroccan psychedelic rock band Baba Blues."

Performance of "Ila Meta"

The episode kicks off with Baba Blues performing "Ila Meta", a track from their first record. Yusra Mansour explains that this song remains a staple in their performances despite being from an earlier album.

Yusra Mansour [01:11]: "We were going to play Ila Meta. This is like the only song that we perform from the first record instead of the latest one."

The performance showcases the band’s unique blend of traditional North African instruments with modern psychedelic rock elements.

Crafting Unique Instruments

Post-performance, Alison delves into the distinctive instruments used by the band. Yusra Mansour elaborates on the handmade instruments that Baba Blues employs, combining traditional sounds with innovative design.

Yusra Mansour [08:23]: "It's a handmade instrument especially for the band because we wanted to put two instruments in one... The upper one is the awisha, and the second one is the mandol with quarter tunes."

Bryce Potin adds details about his instrument, an electric version of the Gambri, which allows the band to maintain a power trio setup without a traditional bass.

Bryce Potin [09:09]: "It's kind like Gambri from Morocco, but it's a solid body one because the idea of the band was to do like a power trio but to replace the bass by the electric Gambri."

Songwriting Process and Themes of "Ila Meta"

Alison inquires about the band’s songwriting process, to which Yusra responds that music typically precedes lyrics. This approach allows them to let the melodies inspire the themes of their songs.

Yusra Mansour [09:47]: "Mostly it's the music. And when you have the music, you can start to have like top lines for singing."

Discussing "Ila Meta", Yusra highlights the song's celebration of diversity and cultural sharing as a means to foster unity and understanding.

Yusra Mansour [10:09]: "It was about diversity, about how beautiful it is to be from different backgrounds and to share these differences and to celebrate these differences."

Introducing the Full Band

Alison introduces the remaining members of Baba Blues, bringing depth to the discussion by acknowledging their diverse talents.

Alison Stewart [10:49]: "Rhys, will you introduce us to the rest of the band?"

Bryce Potin: "Yes, with pleasure. For you, ladies and gentlemen, Moolay Isham, percussion and flute from Agadir... And on the drum, ladies and gentlemen, Moolah Ibrahim Lubogos, drums and backing vocal."

Performance of "Imazirn" and Its Significance

The band performs "Imazirn", a song addressing the tensions between Amazigh and Arabic-speaking populations in North Africa. Yusra explains the song as a reflection on identity crises and the importance of recognizing shared humanity over cultural conflicts.

Yusra Mansour [11:12]: "It's about like a conflict between the people who speak Amazigh and people speak Arabic... we are all Amezir and even if we have something from outside, that's beautiful also."

Exploring the Meaning of "Swakin" and Recording Influences

Alison shifts the conversation to the album's title, "Swakin", inviting Yusra to explain its dual meaning related to possession and transcendental experiences through music.

Yusra Mansour [16:37]: "Swakin actually means possessions... and it also means getting into a trance, deeper than trance, like opening or getting into another dimension."

The band shares insights into their creative process, recording their album across various international locations, including Australia, France, Tunisia, and the UK. This nomadic approach infused their music with diverse cultural vibrations and positivity.

Yusra Mansour [17:34]: "We were actually on the road and we were touring... We recorded finally in Box at the Real World studio in the UK."

Performance of "Iwai Wafang" and Reflections on Mortality

Baba Blues concludes their set with "Iwai Wafang", a poignant song that contemplates mortality and the universal equality in death. Yusra shares a touching anecdote about witnessing joyful funerals in Togo, emphasizing the beauty in celebrating life regardless of its impermanence.

Yusra Mansour [18:28]: "It's just talking about how life is not eternal... we should celebrate the memories of each person that is with us because... we have like the same end, all of us."

Yusra Mansour [19:00]: "People celebrate funerals like weddings, they dance... it was very touching."

Conclusion

Alison wraps up the episode by thanking Yusra and Bryce for their insightful performances and discussions, highlighting the enriching cultural exchange that Baba Blues embodies.

Alison Stewart [23:43]: "That was Bubbly Blues. My guests have been Yusra Mansour and Brice Betton. Thank you so much for joining us."

---

Key Takeaways:

• Baba Blues merges traditional Moroccan instruments with psychedelic rock, creating a unique soundscape.
• Their album "Swakin" explores themes of cultural identity, diversity, and the human experience, recorded across multiple continents.
• The band emphasizes unity and the celebration of diverse backgrounds as essential to overcoming cultural conflicts.
• Performances like "Ila Meta" and "Iwai Wafang" illustrate their commitment to blending music with meaningful social messages.

Notable Quotes:

• "It's about human being. It's not about where are you from or what is the color of your skin, but about like we are at the end of the day, all kind of similar." — Yusra Mansour [10:09]
• "Swakin actually means possessions... and it also means getting into a trance, deeper than trance, like opening or getting into another dimension." — Yusra Mansour [16:37]
• "People celebrate funerals like weddings, they dance... it was very touching." — Yusra Mansour [19:00]

---

This episode of ALL OF IT offers a deep dive into the cultural and musical journey of Baba Blues, showcasing how they navigate and celebrate the rich tapestry of Moroccan and global influences through their art.

Transcript

[Progressive Insurance]

All of it is supported by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart Choice. Make another smart choice with Auto Quote Explorer to compare rates for multiple car insurance companies all at once. Try [e-mail], progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy.

[WNYC Studios]

Listener supported WNYC Studios.

[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart and we are live now in the WNYC performance studio with Moroccan psychedelic rock band Baba Blues. Their sound puts traditional North African instruments through modern sounds. Their latest album is called Swakin which means the space in which two dimensions overlap. Let's get into it with Yusa Mansoor. Nice to meet you.

[Yusra Mansour]

A pleasure.

[Alison Stewart]

And Bryce Potin, the co founders of Baba Blues. Nice to meet you as well.

[WNYC Studios]

Nice to meet you too.

[Alison Stewart]

The first song we're going to hear. Well, first of all, you tell me what we're going to hear. What song?

[Yusra Mansour]

Hello, A pleasure to be here. And we were going to play Ila Meta. This is like the only song that we perform from the first record instead of the latest one.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, let's hear it.

[Bryce Potin]

Hello.

[Yusra Mansour]

Wales.

[Bryce Potin]

Elam.

[Alison Stewart]

That was Baba Blues. My guests are you Sarmasar and Brice Potin. All right, first of all, I have a million questions. First of all, tell me about the instrument that you're playing.

[Yusra Mansour]

Well, it's a handmade instrument especially for the band because we wanted to put two instruments in one for airlines issues, to be honest. So the upper one is the awisha is the instrument that the Genawa masters start to learn before getting to the Gimbri which is the instrument that Breez is playing. And it's like an Ngoni or tihardant. It's like from sub Saharan origins and you can find it in Morocco. It's not very famous. It's not like the Gambri which is really famous instrument. And the second one is the mandol that we can find in East Morocco and Algeria especially. And it's a special mandol with the quarter tunes.

[Alison Stewart]

Tell me about your instrument.

[WNYC Studios]

Bries me. It's originally it's kind like Gambri from Moko as you told you, but it's a solid body one because the idea of the band it was to do like a power trio but to replace the bass by the electric Gambri and the electric guitar by the electric. I wish I had Mandel that you.

[Alison Stewart]

Throw is playing your music. It's so easy to get into the musicality of it. But you also want to listen to the lyrics too. When you're writing a song, what comes first, the music or the lyrics?

[Yusra Mansour]

I think it depends. But mostly it's the music. And when you have the music, you can start to have like top lines for singing. And then you imagine what is like the best subject to talk about with this melody. It can be the inverse process as well, but we do it mostly this way.

[Alison Stewart]

What was that last song about?

[Yusra Mansour]

Ilamata was about diversity, about how beautiful it is to be from different backgrounds and to share these differences and to celebrate these differences. Because there are not source of conflicts, there must be just something to highlight. And what a beautiful thing to share cultures and to learn from other cultures. And especially nowadays, it's these crazy times. We think we need something to get together. All human being. It's about human being. It's not about where are you from or what is the color of your skin, but about like we are at the end of the day, all kind of similar.

[Alison Stewart]

Rhys, will you introduce us to the rest of the band?

[WNYC Studios]

Yes, with pleasure. For you, ladies and gentlemen, Moolay Isham, percussion and flute from Agadir.

[Alison Stewart]

Nice to meet you.

[WNYC Studios]

And on the drum, ladies and gentlemen, Moolah Ibrahim Lubogos, drums and backing vocal.

[Alison Stewart]

What is the next song we're going to hear?

[Yusra Mansour]

You're gonna hear a song called Imazirn and it's about like local population of North Africa called the Amazigh or the Burma. Yes, yes. And this is a song about like a conflict between the people who speak Amazigh and people speak Arabic. Even in Morocco they have like, they share 50% of DNA and still fighting sometimes just because there is an identity crisis. So it's just a song about that. But we are all a Mezir and even if we have something from outside, that's beautiful also.

[Alison Stewart]

This is Bahavaluz.

[Bryce Potin]

That's Sa.

[Yusra Mansour]

Up.

[Alison Stewart]

SA.

[Bryce Potin]

My dad.

[Alison Stewart]

That was Bobbly booze. We'll have more after a quick break. This is all of It. Listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. We're talking with Yusra Mansour and Brice Patton. Was I close? Sort of perfect. Not exactly, but I tried. Co founders of the Moroccan psychedelic rock band Bab Leblus. They're here towards the end of their US tour following the release of their latest album, Suakin. What does suakin mean?

[Yusra Mansour]

Suakin actually means possessions.

[Alison Stewart]

Ah.

[Yusra Mansour]

And it also like mean getting into and to trance, but deeper than trance and maybe like opening or getting into another dimension. So it is used a lot in the shabi in Morocco. It's a sort of music where like people dance until they have no energy. Sometimes they fall. So after like they. They lose consciousness just because they. They release something. So swakin is when you go deep, deep, deep into music and trance and you open the doors of mystical stuff, but in a beautiful way.

[Alison Stewart]

I told you, I just got back from Morocco and it was just so interesting to see how beautiful the culture was.

[Yusra Mansour]

Thank you.

[Alison Stewart]

It really was. I wanted to tell you that when you were making this album, where did you make it? All over.

[WNYC Studios]

We were actually on the road and we were touring. Some of our stuff were finished in Australia, I remember.

[Alison Stewart]

Wow.

[WNYC Studios]

Some in France, some in Tunisia and. And we recorded finally in London. Not, not in London, in box at the Real World studio or labelle in the uk.

[Alison Stewart]

What did all those different locations, how did they influence your writing in a positive way?

[WNYC Studios]

We just have good vibration with some places we met people sometimes they make us discover the culture, interesting stuff that we didn't know it exists. And so it influenced us in a good way and it gave us positivity, I think.

[Alison Stewart]

What's the last song we're going to hear?

[Yusra Mansour]

The last song is Iwai Wafang and it's funny because it's just talking about how life is not eternal. And we think that it's really important to remind people that we are at some point all gonna die and that this is like beautiful because everyone, we are all equal when it comes to that and that we should not be scared and we should celebrate the memories of each person that is with us because. Because anyway we have like the same end, all of us.

[Alison Stewart]

That's so beautiful.

[Yusra Mansour]

And in Togo we've learned this, people celebrate funerals like wedding, they dance and we've been there and we saw people dancing and we thought it was a wedding. And they told us that these are funerals and it was very touching.

[Alison Stewart]

This is Bubbly Blue.

[Bryce Potin]

Mama.

[Alison Stewart]

That was Bubbly Blues. My guests have been Yusra Mansour and Brice Betton. Thank you so much for joining us.

[Yusra Mansour]

Thank you so much. It was a pleasure.

[Ira Flatow]

I'm Ira Flato, host of Science Friday. For over 30 years, our team has been reporting high quality news about science, technology and medicine. News you won't get anywhere else. And now that political news is 24 7. Our audience is turning to us to know about the really important stuff in their lives. Cancer, climate change, genetic engineering, childhood diseases. Our sponsors know the value of science and health news. For more sponsorship information, visit sponsorship.wnyc.org.