Maurice Louca – Bariy (Fera)

When Maurice Louca makes music, he doesn’t just open the box a little, he always lets the whole swarm out at once. His compositions are like organisms in themselves, growing bodies that swirl around you, pulling you into the vortex that a city like Cairo has traditionally been. Egyptian musicians have probably never composed as pointedly as they do on Bariiy (Fera): despite their characteristic teeming nature, the pieces have a strong inner cohesion and a catchy groove. Fera is the pulse you want to have – anything else would be half alive.