Maalem Houssam Guinia and Al Ehtifal in Bucharest

Maalem Houssam Guinia and Al Ehtifal in Bucharest

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Dragoș Rusu

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Panoramic is a monthly mid-week gathering at Control Club dedicated to raw experimentation and cross-border music culture.

Taking place one Wednesday a month, the series focuses on live concerts, bringing together visionary acts, ensembles, and soloists from North and Central Africa, Europe, and the SWANA region.

The first edition brings Maalem Houssam Guinia [MO] and Al Ehtifal on November 11. Save the date!

Deep Roots, Contemporary Friction

Panoramic #1: Maalem Houssam Guinia [MO] and Al Ehtifal
Panoramic #1: Maalem Houssam Guinia [MO] and Al Ehtifal
We’re stripping away the tired, lazy label of "world music." Panoramic isn't about folkloric showcases or exoticized nostalgia. Instead of treating Western Europe as the default filter for global culture, this series gently challenges that center of gravity.

We are tuning into decentralized scenes across the globe to find the actual future of music—sounds built on deep roots, radical improvisation, and contemporary friction.

In a landscape flattened by algorithmic playlists, we’re making space for structural risk-taking, traditional instrument re-contextualization, and electronic mutation.

To anchor these cross-continental dialogues in our own community, every edition of Panoramic will also feature live performances from local artists and support acts, building a direct, ongoing bridge between Bucharest and the global underground.

The Guests

Maalem Houssam Guinia is the son and successor of Gnawa master Mahmoud Guinia. He plays the guembri, a three-stringed, skin-covered lute central to the tradition’s hypnotic rhythms. In lila ceremonies, these repeating patterns accompany dance and trance-like states, and are traditionally believed to have spiritual and healing powers. His 2024 album Dead of Night, released by Hive Mind Records, was recorded in a single overnight session in a Casablanca home.

AL.Ehtifal Project is a musical collective that integrates spontaneous thoughts into performance moments, as a way of communication. The word "AL.Ehtifal" comes from Arabic, meaning "The Celebration." The project challenges the dominant musical landscape and established norms through authentic forms of artistic expression, born out of the need for experimentation. It has a flexible body of musicians. “a fresh construct of identity layering that recently made its unexpected appearance as the possibility of a get-together ”
About the Author

Dragoș Rusu

Co-founder and co-editor in chief of The Attic, sound researcher, DJ, and allround music adventurer, with a keen interest in the anthropology of sound.

@dragos_rusu_
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