Aïta Mon Amour + Cheb Runner ((Morocco))

AÏTA MON AMOUR

Rural female song tradition from Morocco brought into the present

Aïta Mon Amour was born out of a fascination that singer Widad Mjama had for the Chikhates, the strong and powerful women ‘rebel’ singers and curators of a Moroccan tradition dating from the 12th century. Long before she was able to understand the essence of the words and their poetry, Widad Mjama was drawn to this music. 

The genre Aita comes from the Moroccan countryside, a rural expression of the female voice, traditionally with male instrumentalists. Though popular, it had a low status: The women were traveling with men, and they smoked and drank too. Nowadays Aita is considered an expression of freedom, and many artists from the younger generations are inspired by it, such as Widad Mjama. «Aita Mon Amour» is a fitting name for her new creation. Collaborating with Khalil Epi, she wishes to rescue this poetry from oblivion and make it resonate in a contemporary and digital manner.

Like the passing of the torch between two generations, Widad creates a musical narrative using Aita poems and songs that are linked to tradition as well as to modernity, using guitar, lute and electronics. Faithful to the spirit and the strength of the origins, Aïta Mon Amour is Widads journey into the history of these women. 

During Oslo World, Aïta Mon Amour will perform at Byens Tak as part of a double bill with Cheb Runner. An evening of dance and wedding music at Oslos loftiest music venue!

CHEB RUNNER 

Producer Cheb Runner (Reda Senhaji) is rooted in Moroccan soil while exploring multiple musical landscapes. Cheb, the Arabic word for young, is traditionally used to describe Raï singers – like Cheb Hasni and Cheb Khaled. It signals his ambition to create something new with something old. The other part of his artist name is a reference to the Ridley Scott movie Blade Runner: while the Cheb comes from the moroccan village, the beats come from the club scene of an industrial city, like Berlin, Detroit or Brussels.

Cheb Runner represents a new sound of in-betweenness, nurtured by different worlds while running back & forth in time. Using first hand sounds and recordings of his own sample bank based on traditional instruments, he playfully mixes analog with digital effects

supported by his collection of synthesizers. He started his musical career flirting with different aliases, collectives and genres. As a producer, composer and DJ, he moves from Moroccan chaabi over spiritual sounds to eclectic disco, deep techno and gabber

Cheb Runner is resident at Ghana's Oroko Radio and a familiar face at Brussels Kiosk Radio. He is also part of the (A)WAKE collective (Rotterdam) and recently joined the Brussel based Not Your Techno family.