OKA Premiere: Imanaren 'Ayyiss Bo Tdlal (The Jeweled Horse)'

OKA Premiere: Imanaren 'Ayyiss Bo Tdlal (The Jeweled Horse)'


Last summer DJ/Rupture and a crew of musicians, filmmakers, and photographers travelled to Morocco as part of the art/research project Beyond Digital. They came across Imanaren's home-recorded album at a small hijab-and-music stand in Casablanca's medina and felt compelled to track down bandleader Hassan Wargui. The two camps hit it off, Hasan joined the Beyond Digital project, and now Rupture's Dutty Artz label will be releasing the group's self-titled LP.

Imanaren play a contemporary blend of hazy banjo and reverbed vocals influenced by 70s and 80s Moroccan Berber bands. Stream and download the hypnotizing and lulling cut 'Ayyiss Bo Tdlal (The Jeweled Horse).' Imanaren's S/T LP is out 11/15 via Dutty Artz.

[audio:https://www.okayafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/03-Imanaren-Ayyiss-Bo-Tdlal-The-Jeweled-Horse.mp3|titles="Ayyiss Bo Tdlal (The Jeweled Horse)" by Imanaren]

DOWNLOAD: Imanaren "Ayyiss Bo Tdlal (The Jeweled Horse)"

​Photo illustration by Kaushik Kalidindi, Okayplayer.
Poetry

The 10 Best African Poems of All Time

These are the lines that have woken imaginations and stirred souls across the continent and beyond.

Best North African Songs of 2025 So Far — Mid-Year Roundup
Latest

Best North African Songs of 2025 So Far — Mid-Year Roundup

From Morocco’s Small X to Sudan’s MaMan, North African artists are searching for new sounds and media to respond to the socio-political realities of our time. This is the best North African and Arabic music of the year so far.