All posts in Field Recordings

Text and field recordings by Dudu Bongo.
Pictures by Ana Larruy & Dudu Bongo.

This post is the continuation of Sound Routes: Maghreb / Morocco – Essaouira I (day #5). 

This was our last day in Essaouira. Ana and I woke up early in the morning, as we were going to meet Hassan Laarousi, a Guembri Luthier, Gnawa Maallem, and friend of mine. He wanted to take us to Souk el Arbaa (Wednesday market) and show us where the locals bought their supplies for the week. Located in Ida Ougourd, around 80km from Essaouira, Souk el Arbaa is always crowded, buyers and sellers from all around the area gather, engage and socialize creating not only an authentic business atmosphere but also a secular cultural demonstration. From meet to old radio cassettes, vegetables and wicker baskets you can find everything you need for the house, the kitchen, the garden or the school.

After a long walk around the Souk under the merciless sun, Hassan bought some goat’s liver and vegetables that we later brought to a grill in where they prepared a delicious lunch for us.

Continue Reading

Text and field recordings by Dudu Bongo.
Pictures by Ana Larruy & Dudu Bongo.

This post is the continuation of Sound Routes: Maghreb / Morocco – Agadir & Taghazout (Day #4).

Ramadan had finished the night before and the joy of celebration could be smelled in the air of this old Moroccan coaster city, also called ‘the African city of the wind’. Coinciding with the golden hour, we got off the bus and walked through the big gate of Bab Marrakesh into the old medina of Essaouira.

Continue Reading

Text and field recordings by Dudu Bongo.
Pictures by Ana Larruy & Dudu Bongo.

This post is the continuation of Sound Routes: Maghreb / Morocco – Ouarzazate (Day #3).

After six hour trip from Ouarzazate, we arrived at Taghazout by midday. From the hostel, I could hear the welcoming sound of the sea waves brushing the sand. After signing the check in, I dropped my backpack on the floor of our room and immediately jumped into the beach.

With the excitement of the moment, I totally forgot about my handy recorder without which it was impossible to catch any sound at all.

Despite the setback caused by the distraction I quickly got interested in a group of fishermen that were assembling a little stand in where they would sell their catch of the day. Astonished by the beauty, freshness and diversity of fishes and mollusks they were displaying, I started feeling very hungry and decided to buy two nice looking octopuses in order to make a delicious feast with them. With the idea of a seafood pasta in my mind, I headed off to the closest shop and got hold of the extra ingredients for the meal.

Once I had returned to the hostel with a bag full of spices, olive oil, coriander, tomatoes, spaghettis, garlic and oranges I was ready to start cooking a simple but delicious recipe: Spaghetti with octopus on its ink and stir-fried vegetables.

Before cooking, I made an orange juice for me and Ana, who, at that moment, was reading peacefully in hostels terrace. The sound of the old electric squeezer resulted very interestingly for me so I decided to record it straight away.

Continue Reading

Text and field recordings by Dudu Bongo.
Pictures by Ana Larruy.

This post is the continuation of Sound Routes: Maghreb / Morocco – Marrakesh (Day #2).

On the morning of the third day we left Marrakesh and headed to Ouarzazate. We took a shared taxi from the Grand Routier, next to Bab Taghzout. Both Ana and I, were so excited about the trip, that we did not care about having to share the copilot’s seat! Or at least, we didn’t at the beginning…

Ouarzazate is a city in the south of Morocco, it is known for its outstanding Kasbahs (ancient fortress made out of clay and straw) and, ultimately,  for the many shows, films and series that have been recorded in its film studios and surroundings. It took us about two hours to cross the impressive Atlas  and one hour more to arrive to the ‘doors of the desert’, as the city is also known.

Continue Reading

Text and field recordings by Dudu Bongo.
Pictures by Ana Larruy.

This post is the continuation of Sound Routes: Maghreb / Morocco – Marrakesh (Day #1).

In our first morning in Marrakesh, we woke up at 10 am, had a delicious breakfast and jumped out the street, hoping to find the way to Jemaa El-Fna… yes, again.

We tried hard to find the correct way to the square, but in Marrakesh, if you get distracted for only a second, you have a high probability of missing that one street you had to turn onto. Somehow, and with some good luck, we got lost into a maze of squeezed streets and old tall buildings, where sunbeams appeared to stain thin lines on the ashen walls. All of a sudden a set of laughs and yelps reached my ears from a group of children playing and enjoying some street games.

Continue Reading