Physical Edition: Kassidat: Raw 45s from Morocco

Format: CD + Booklet

Fiery, hypnotic, and deeply rooted in tradition — Kassidat transports listeners to the streets, festivals, and marketplaces of Morocco in the 1960s, during the nation’s Golden Age of recording.

After Morocco gained independence in 1956, locally owned record labels flourished in Casablanca, releasing thousands of songs on affordable 45s. These singles captured the raw energy of Berber and Arabic music before international pop influences took hold.

Kassidat: Raw 45s from Morocco revisits this era with six extended tracks, combining acoustic instruments, driving polyrhythms, and impassioned vernacular Arabic poetry. The result is visceral, smoldering, and unforgettable.

What’s Included:

• 1 CD with 6 extended tracks from Moroccan 45s (1960s)
• 20-page illustrated booklet featuring liner notes and photographs

Praise & Reviews:

• “In the digital era, local cultures are dissolving rapidly into a global swirl of data… Kassidat retrieves a selection of Moroccan pop conceived specifically for local ears, recorded in the 1960s… gritty traces of physical place restored to vinyl and recycling evocatively in auditory space.” — Wire Magazine
• “Incredible collection of traditional Arabic & Berber 45s from the Golden era of Moroccan recording industry.” — Boomkat
• “Nothing is hypnotic the way that Moroccan music is, and instead of heading for the much romanticized & trance-inducing sufis of the mountains, this set brings you the incendiary tunes recorded on 45 for the urbane & friendly snake pits of Casablanca.” — Weirdo Records

Compiler:

David Murray, curator of Haji Maji (dedicated to Asian 78 rpm recordings) and shellachead.com (global 78s). Murray also produced Dust-to-Digital’s Luk Thung: Classic & Obscure 78s from the Thai Countryside and Longing for the Past: The 78 rpm Era in Southeast Asia.