A transcendental opening ceremony took place at the start of Le Guess Who? 2024, thanks to a special collaboration between the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra and visual artist Arion de Munck, who presented the world premiere of Hadra Immersive at the festival.
The Hadra is an ancient northern Moroccan ceremony that leads participants to collective transcendence through music and melody, culminating in a spiritual climax. You can relive this special experience thanks to our full concert film that just premiered via Scene Noise.
During the performance, vibrations of traditional instruments, hypnotic rhythms, musical harmonies, spiritual chants and poetry set water in motion, creating vibrational patterns: Water Sound Images. This phenomenon is also called cymatics; the study of wave phenomena in matter (from ancient Greek: κῦμα = wave).
In this collective experience, the boundary between audience and performer fades; musicians as well as visitors sit in circles around a large water basin, allowing everyone to become part of the whole. This environment is meant to imitate the atmosphere of the Zawiya’s (Sufi monasteries), in order to ensure the exchange between musicians and visitors, and to replicate the spiritual nature of these gatherings. Read more about the project here.
Le Guess Who? Recordings
The publication of this recording is part of Le Guess Who?’s ongoing expansion of the festival’s recordings archive, with 100+ recordings from past editions now freely available online.
This archive contains audio and/or video recordings of performances by Kamilya Jubran, Alan Sparhawk, Stereolab, Tom Skinner, Selda Bağcan, clipping., Aldous Harding, Deerhunter, Art Ensemble of Chicago, The Microphones, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Lightning Bolt, Neneh Cherry, Arooj Aftab, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, and many more.
Hadra Immersive is a co-production of Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra, Arion de Munck and Meervaart.
Captured at TivoliVredenburg's Grote Zaal on Thursday, 7 November during Le Guess Who? 2024.
Salah Eddine Mesbah - zang/tbal/coördinatie muziek
Ahmed El Maai - qanun/zang
Mohamed Chairi - zang/rabab
Dwight Breinburg - zang/tar
Jamal Eddine Ben Allal - viool/score
Mohammed Chokri Ghmari - altviool/ghaita
Jaafar Lougmani - viool
Mohamed Al Mokhlis - viool
Léa Besançon - cello
Marianne Noordink - ney
Hamza Amrani - ud
Ahmed Khaili - darbuka/daf
Mohamed Aadroun - Regie/Artistiek leider AAO
Arion de Munck (Ombak Lab) - Kunstenaar/Cymatics
Mike den Ottolander - Lichtontwerp
Peter Zwart - Geluidsontwerp
Menno Drost / Event Support Drost - Technisch producent
Jos Kluwen - Decorbouw
Siham Bourakaa - Zakelijk directeur AAO
Eva Hermus - Zakelijk Producent AAO
Floor van der Sluis - Productieleider
Hassan Bakkali - Artiestencoördinator
Bouchra El Khannoussi - PR & Communicatie AAO
Direction: Dammes Kieft
Camera: Anaïs Saebu, Emily Duurland, Jonathan Sipkema, Nicky Pajkić, Rikash Gobardhan, Yuma Eekman, Dammes Kieft
Production: Studio Dammes, Ramon de Lima
Montage & Grade: Peter Marcus
Photography: Maarten Mooijman
Sound recording: Marc Broer
