To understand a culture, one must grasp its language. But to feel its soul, one must know its music. In Morocco, musical performance has an audience across the country and in every venue, from the private home and to the outdoor café, and from the concert stage to the corner party.

Gnawa is Descendents of merchants who traveled up from sub-Saharan Africa to cross the great desert in huge caravans bound for the Moroccan coastline, the Gnawa of Morocco are a black ethnic group who employ music for means a bit more mystical. The term, Gnawa, is a variation on the Berber word aguinaw, which means “black men.” Gnawa musicians are often viewed by their people as shamans and holy men.

Considered adept at healing scorpion stings and psychological disorders, the Gnawa use color, perfume, and music in their rituals. Trance-inducing rhythms, handclapping, and call-and-response singing are characteristic of Gnawa, and it is not uncommon for musicians to employ chants to summon the spirits of the dead. Somewhere between the swaying and the healing, however, a number of Gnawa musician-shamans have caught the fever of modern capitalism. Hassan Hakmoun is one such artist who has found success performing musical rituals for Morocco’s enormous tourism industry.

Amongst the oldest of Morocco’s musical cultures are the Berber people, also known as the Imazighen, or “free people.” According to geography and historical place, they have been known by several other names, among the Libyans, the Moors, and the Numidians. And although indigenous to Morocco and to other parts of northern Africa, anthropologists endlessly theorize about their ethnic past.

Curiously, the rhythms and instrumental sounds of Berber song can seem vaguely related to Celtic traditions. Certain Berber music styles carry a similar melodic rise and fall to traditional Irish and Scottish song. In fact, such styles even utilize a form of the bagpipes. By comparison, other Berber styles exist which use a five-tone musical scale, and in this way are closer to classical Chinese instrumental than to anything produced in Dublin.

Like Gnawa, Berber song also has its contemporary artists. Azawan Amazigh is credited as one of the first to bring Berber music into the modern age. This, he managed to do without ever losing the heart and soul of its ancient roots. Some sample tracks, as well as full CDs, are available on the web at www.azawan.com.

A celebrated form of music in Morocco originated in the 9th century with a refugee from the East. To escape rumors and the ill-will of a jealous former music tutor, Hassan Ali Ben Nafi, or Ziryab, fled Baghdad to arrive shortly thereafter in Islamic Spain. Ziryab carried with him a style of music known today as the Andalusian genre.

Sung in classical Arabic, Andalusian music maintains a highly complex structure. Spanish flamenco is a derivation of the Andalusian form. It is no surprise that the name of the genre itself refers to that part of Spain where the music is most popular. Andalusia, the southernmost province of Spain, nearly touches Morocco at the Strait of Gibraltar - close enough to ensure a blending of the two cultures. While in Spain Andalusian music has become famously associated with the Spanish gypsy, across waters it forms the classical backbone of Moroccan music.

Morocco popular music uses a style of music known as “Griha,” a style that is something along the lines of Arabic Pop. Unlike Andalusian song, which typically is sung in either classical Arabic or the Andalusian dialect of southern Spain, Griha is sung in modern Arabic. Lyrics encompass the many themes of love, but are not limited to these, taking on political and religious subjects as well. Characteristically, Griha carries a comedic, satirical edge that Andalusian song lacks.

Morocco is fast emerging as a center for world music. A well-known music festival held every June in the city of Casablanca is the Boulevard des Jeunes Musiciens. Past performers have included De La Soul (USA), The Guarantee (France) and Dj Hak’ X (Morocco). The festival endures four days of whirlwind color, perfumed scents, and soulful sounds. In 2007 the festival presents the famous Barry of Morocco, a band that blurs the lines of culture, fusing Latino with Arabic and Gnawa.

Relatively new on the scene of “new soul,” Ahmed Soultan is one to look out for. Soultan’s smooth charismatic voice carries tunes in Moroccan Arabic and French, and all to the cool backbeats of easy dance melodies.