Mustafa El Akri

Mustafa El Akri , also Feu El Aakri , (* 1965 ; † June 27, 2001 ) was a Moroccan musician and singer and next to Mohamed Rouicha the leading exponent of Berber music of the Middle Atlas .

life and work

Mustafa El Akri lived in El Hajeb . Almost nothing has been published about his life; supposedly he didn't start making music until he was 20 years old. He composed most of his songs, sung exclusively in the Berber language of the Central Atlas Tamazight , himself. His musical style and the instrumentation of his pieces are based on those of his model Mohamed Rouicha; However, a lot sounds - also because of the smaller number of accompanying musicians and singers - simpler, rougher and more original.

Mustafa El Akri also played the loutar or luthar , a three- or four-sided string instrument, the covering and body covering of which owes much to the gimbri , which - originally probably of Black African origin - was brought to southern Morocco by the Gnaoua ('people from Guinea'). Similarities between Gnaoua music and the Berber music of the Middle Atlas can also be found in their strong emphasis on rhythm and an overall rather cyclical character.

Web links

• Mustafa El Akri: Urach Nigh Liib - audio sample (Tamazight)
• Mustafa El Akri: Mrd Datsalt Atsalgh - audio sample (Tamazight)
• Mustafa El Akri: Yach Thghderdyi Athaghzi n Dounith - audio sample (Tamazight)
• Mustafa El Akri: Idis Thsant Aymanou - audio sample (Tamazight)