RMWF 2015 to feature sounds from N. Africa

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Members of Bargou 08 are determined to revive Tunisia’s near-forgotten regional ‘Salhi’ music and feature it to the world.

Members of Bargou 08 are determined to revive Tunisia’s near-forgotten regional ‘Salhi’ music and feature it to the world.

El Maloumi has been hailed for his ingenious talent in combining the best of contemporary and Arabic heritage music.

El Maloumi has been hailed for his ingenious talent in combining the best of contemporary and Arabic heritage music.

KUCHING: Renowned world music artiste Driss El Maloumi will be among two North African talents to be featured in this year’s annual Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) at Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV), from Aug 7 to 9.

The award-winning Moroccan, who is trained in both Arabic and Western classical music, is also a music composer for shows such as ‘Caravan Moon’. He was involved in the production of a musical film ‘La Source des Femmes’.

El Maloumi has also been hailed for his ingenious talent in combining the best of contemporary and Arabic heritage music.

His first album, ‘L’Ame Dansée’, was released in 2005. His following album entitled ‘Makan’ in 2013, involved a collaboration with two percussionists, Said El Maloumi and Lahoucine Baquir.

Taking the same stage with the Moroccan will be Bargou 08 – a group from Tunisia set to wow the crowd here with their ecstatic mastery of dance and trance mixes.

The band’s name derives from the Bargou mountain range in the isolated and almost-forgotten region Seliana in North-West Tunisia, near the Algerian border.

According to them, music from this region is called ‘Salhi’ but it is disappearing.

“We are determined to bring it back to life,” Bargou 08 said.

Meanwhile, members of the public are reminded that RMWF 2015 tickets can now be purchased online.

Event-presale tickets go for RM110 per adult and RM50 per child (five to 12 years), while three-day entrance tickets are priced at RM300 per adult and RM130 per child.

For more information, logon to www.rwmf.net.