Koyo Habib

Approfondimenti

Losing longstanding guitarist and "initiator" El Habib El Malak to the political world in Marrakesh dramatically shifted Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effects toward the techno textures slant of keyboard player Cheb Youssef on Koyo Habib. Sequenced together as if by a DJ working in the booth, the music loses its distinctiveness pretty quickly unless you're into multiple keyboard sounds that probably work in hip European or Moroccan roll discos. It's not as if Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effects hasn't been moving in this direction in recent years or that Cheb Youssef lacks chops. The propulsive groove and catchy chorus of "Skoko Sankara" followed up by the trance-jungle flavor of "Booya" is an effective enough double-barreled opening salvo. It just lacks the unique character of the group's earlier mix, where Western and Moroccan elements, pop and traditional, were thrown into the modern dancefloor blender and out came something new and intriguing that still retained the original flavors. "Koyo Koyo" has some moments with its violin melody amidst the orchestrated keyboards but -- and surprisingly for a group that started from an outlaw dub mentality -- where Koyo Habib really falls short is in the rhythm zone. Apart from the mutant reggae feel of "Maghrebia" and the tough bassline driving a punchy version of the traditional "Alou AKJE," the grooves just don't pull you into Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effects' dancefloor world.
© Don Snowden /TiVo