Ouella Translates Amazigh Heritage into Bass Music on 'SHILHA' EP

Tracing a line between Amazigh culture and the elusive, evolving forms of contemporary bass, Ouella’s two-track EP, SHILHA, offers a unique exploration and study of identity and musical interpretation. Grounded in the artist’s Moroccan Amazigh heritage, the EP reconstructs it from the ground up, weaving the rhythmic DNA of Amazigh and Moroccan shaabi into the architecture of bass music.

Walid Anees, the Casablanca-raised producer behind the Ouella moniker, establishes a soundscape that feels both familiar and fresh. He draws fluid basslines from his heritage and channels them through the lens of UK bass, dubstep, and garage to forge a unique dialogue of sounds.

Named after the Amazigh language spoken in southwestern Morocco, SHILHA opens by fully leaning into the unexpected sonic correlations between traditional North African drum patterns and the echoed spaces of dub. ‘Taroudant Dub’ honours what formed the artist while reshaping it with the contemporary tools of electronic music. The deep, meditative rhythm of the opener gives way to a distinct surge of energy. ‘Ouarzazate Siren’ feels like the musical equivalent of a vast, dusty landscape being cut with an industrial edge. The rhythm is built on subtle polyrhythms, while the bass is a rolling force that is more about forward momentum and groove than aggressive drop-kicks. The track’s club sensibility is laid bare, but it still undeniably carries the weight of its cultural anchor.

Ultimately, Ouella's biggest achievement is that he hasn’t put tradition and futurism at odds in his EP. In fact, he has found a way to interweave them, which lifts SHILHA beyond hybridity for the sake of hybridity. It’s an imaginative celebration of Amazigh identity that looks forward, experimenting towards new possibilities for what diasporic electronic music can sound like.