MAÂLEM MEHDI NASSOULI

Born in Taroudant, Mehdi Nassouli has established himself as one of the most distinctive figures of the new generation of Gnaoua musicians. Trained from childhood within his family, and later influenced by malhoun and the folk traditions of southern Morocco, he has forged a career deeply rooted in the country’s musical heritage.

Over the years, he has honed his guembri playing under the tutelage of great Maâlems such as Hamid El Kasri, Abdelkbir Merchane, and Mustapha Baqbou, developing a mastery that allows him to navigate with ease between tradition and contemporary creation.

He is a regular on the international stage, frequently collaborating with artists from diverse backgrounds, while—with the Mehdi Nassouli Band—he has established a personal artistic universe where Gnaoua culture engages with contemporary aesthetics. Balancing loyalty to his roots with an open-minded spirit, he embodies a generation of artists for whom the transmission of tradition also involves reinvention.