Samir LanGus is a Grammy-nominated musician, born and raised in Ait Melloule, Morocco. From a young age, he was immersed in the rich sonic environment of his hometown, where the daily sounds of merchants, street entertainers, and the call to prayer formed a vibrant backdrop to life. This deep-rooted connection to sound naturally led him to music—and more specifically, to Gnawa, the ancient spiritual trance tradition of Morocco.

LanGus began studying Gnawa at an early age, learning directly from the Maalems—the master musicians and keepers of the tradition. Among his most influential mentors was Maalem Hamid El Kasri, one of Morocco’s most celebrated figures in the genre. Through years of apprenticeship, LanGus absorbed not only the rhythms and melodies of Gnawa but also the cultural and spiritual wisdom embedded within it.

For those unfamiliar, Gnawa music is a powerful ritual tradition originating from Morocco’s Black communities, descendants of enslaved people brought from regions of present-day Mali and Mauritania. Sometimes called “The Moroccan Blues,” Gnawa has long captivated the world with its hypnotic grooves and spiritual intensity, drawing the interest of cultural icons like Paul Bowles, Randy Weston, and Jimi Hendrix. The music is deeply rooted in healing practices, performed in all-night ceremonies known as lila, meant to cleanse and uplift those affected by jinn, or spirits.

At the heart of the music is the sintir—a three-stringed bass lute made from wood and camel skin, strung with goat gut. LanGus describes the instrument as “powerful—you feel it in your heart.” Alongside the karqaba (metal castanets), which provide intricate and propulsive rhythms, the music becomes both a spiritual invocation and a communal celebration.

But for LanGus, Gnawa is more than just a sound—it’s a living culture. “You can’t just play the sintir,” he says. “You need the karqaba. You need the spirit.”

Now based in New York City, Samir LanGus brings this centuries-old tradition into conversation with the modern world. His work fuses the roots of Gnawa with contemporary jazz, improvisation, and the global rhythms of the diaspora. With every performance and collaboration, he invites listeners into a space where past and present meet—where tradition is honored and innovation is welcome.

LanGus continues to expand his creative vision through collaborations with musicians from around the world, always staying grounded in the healing, unifying power of Gnawa. His mission is clear: to preserve the essence of the music while exploring new frontiers of sound and spirit.

" For Samir LanGus, the body-moving drone of Gnawa music can be a point of departure as much as a spiritual tradition. Gnawa is the musical heritage of Morocco's sub-Saharan African people, many of whom were transported there in bondage hundreds of years ago from points south. Before the blues was carried across the Atlantic, a version of it moved north, by way of Mali, and became Gnawa. (Really, rock 'n' roll sounds as similar to this as to the blues.) LanGus plays the guembri and sings in a relatively traditional mode, maintaining the rugged push of Gnawa music, but above that he stacks sharper sound objects 20th-century-modern piano chords; a trumpet; high, women's voices echoing his own. He says that his songs mirror the mélange that he grew up around in the coastal city of Agadir. "

 

The New York Times / GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO