Latitude
V.A. : Wallahi Le Zein! -2CD- (MR,80s-'10,comp.2011)****'
-Wallahi Le Zein!! Wezin, Jakwar And Guitar Boogie From The Islamic Republic Of Mauritania-
Compiler Matthew Lavoie has spent endless time and effort in compiling this double CD paying tribute to the Mauritanian nomadic based Haratine/Beydane electric guitarists whom you only hear playing at invited occasions like weddings, birthdays, baptism and political rallies. Falling in love with the music he made the effort of making some studio recordings with some of the musicians too but the effect wasn’t the same. Instead he compiled this double CD from around 700 tapes he collected on the local markets. Most of these tapes were taped primitively on the occasion like little souvenirs; most of them were of too bad a quality. However, when taking out the highlights he managed to make the magic of the music reappear. A two CD compilation in this way isn’t really too long. You thoroughly are dragged into it like with a hypnotic event. The music is just slightly comparable to the electric recordings from the Touaregs, which Sublime Frequencies reissued before. Here is only more effort put into in it, having only kept the great moments of the recordings. There are slower improvisations, more distorted, parts with more wahwah effects, with singing over it, in solo voices, dual voice or some in group or with backing vocals, the percussion is handclaps and a steady rhythm on percussion box-like hand percussions. There’s a sort of Arabesque singing performed with the guitar able to do the same things as well.
There’s a 28-page booklet included with some history on Mauritian guitar playing from the 70s until now, with the story about the research and with some background about the chosen tracks, and with some glossary of important words used in the context, and of course some photographs.
An important document of historical and musical value.
