MAÂLEM MOKHTAR GUINEA

Mokhtar Gania is a brilliant example of the next generation of a legendary line of Gnaoua. As the grandson of Ba Massaoud, son of the master Boubker Gania, and brother of the late Mahmoud Gania, he grew up in Essaouira surrounded by a family that reveres music as a language and a sacred heritage. Very early, he took to stages around the world with his own family, and then with legends such as Randy Weston, Bill Laswell, Pharoah Sanders, and Carlos Santana. Proud of his roots, Moktar Gania explores new territories of sound with his own group, Gnaoua Soul.

He shapes a hybrid and vibrant music, mixing the spirit of Gnaouq with eastern Maghreb melodies and West African beats. In 2020, he recorded the album Moktar Gania & Gnaoua Soul at the Planet Essaouira studio, the product of a meeting with composer Anoir Ben Brahim and percussionist Yacine Ben Ali. This project blends tradition and innovation, surrounded by distinguished artists such as Géraldine Laurent, Jean-Marie Ecay, and Neta El Kayam, under the artistic direction of Jacques Sanjuan. Between fidelity and bold innovation, Moktar Gania breathes an energy into Gnaoua that is new, universal, and profoundly anchored in a family’s memory.