This remix of Innov Gnawa's "Bangara" is a fresh new take on Gnawa music that honors the soul of the sound and the musicians who carry the tradition.

A chance encounter with a Touareg dancer in 2013 led Greek producer AkizzBeatzz to discover North African music, sparking his passion for Gnawa (a pan-African Sufi ritualistic trance tradition that arose from the shadows of slavery in Morocco), which he has continued to study and explore since.

When AkizzBeatzz came across our unique Gnawa recordings and remixable sonic offerings, he jumped at the invitation to download (for free) and remix our samples in accordance with the BY-NC-SA Creative Commons license they carry. Once his track was ready, AkizzBeatzz approached us for a license to commercially release this remix, in accordance with our fair trade remixing model, which splits net proceeds evenly between all co-creators (AkizzBeatzz, Innov Gnawa, and Remix ⟷ Culture).

AkizzBeatzz describes himself as a “World Music 2.0“ representative and is turning the spiritualities embedded in the heritage of North Africa into cuts designed for club basements. With echoes of Bonobo, Auntie Flo, and flutters of Daniel Avery’s brand of machine funk, AkizzBeatzz makes music inspired by the pitch black emptiness of the saharan desert and its everlasting skies.

Akis was born in Greece and grew up in Munich, Germany. At 15, he started experimenting with music production and songwriting. Deeply inspired by sounds from all around the globe and with a great passion for world music, he returned to Greece at the age of 20 and dedicated himself fully to music and art.

Now, after a series of releases and collaborations with important labels in the electronic world music scene, he is one of the most highly anticipated global beats producers for the coming years.