Zar Electrik: Tiny Desk x globalFEST

Lars Gotrich | April 2, 2025
In 2021, the Tiny Desk x globalFEST series was created to promote international music discovery. For the fifth edition, we present artists from Cabo Verde, France and Colombia.

Gnawa music has always been about breaking down barriers. With ecstatic vocalizations, stringed instruments and clashing percussion, this sound has roots in Morocco, but its West African influences are disparate and the diaspora is wide. Zar Electrik, a trio from Marseille, France, taps into that centuries-long tradition at the Tiny Desk.

Zar Electrik, whose name references a healing ritual from the Horn of Africa, takes a modern approach to Gnawa, not only infusing the music with electronic production but also an electric kora — creating a sub-Saharan rave sung in Arabic, French and Darija. "Chouf enour" is a cry for freedom, performed by vocalist Anass Zine with passion and empathy. He smiles as he briefly sings in English, "I love you, my sister / I love you, my brother." The trio closes with "Bala dima," an ode to the mystic nature of night — in the broad daylight of the NPR Music office, ululation erupted from a crowd transported to a midnight trance.

SET LIST
"Chouf enour"
"Bala dima"

MUSICIANS
Anass Zine: vocals, guitar, karkabous
Arthur Péneau: vocals, kora
Didier Simione: electronics

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Wendy Li
Audio Engineer: Andie Huether
Audio Mix: Josephine Nyounai
Production Assistant: Dora Levite
Photographer: Sofia Seidel
Creative Designer: Jackie Lay
Tiny Desk Team: Lars Gotrich, Joshua Bryant, Ashley Pointer
globalFEST Team: Isabel Soffer, Bill Bragin, Shanta Thake, Priscila Santana, Ian Thake
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

#tinydesk #nprmusic #globalfest #zarelectrik

[AnassZineOfficiel]

It was a pleasure to play in this legendary place. Thank you tiny. Thank you NPR Music for the support. 🙌❤️

[miosinemusic]

It was amazing to play in the most famous desk in the world. Thank you for the opportunity, a big thank you to NPR and Globalfest.

[lamastrockproduction]

thanks NPR for hosting Zar Electrik and Thanks you Global Fest for the connection . It' so emotional to hear these songs during this particular times in USA

[aliaprod]

Love this so much, thank you Zar Electrik for making this journey. Thank you to globalFest and NPR for their partnership - this is such a bright light in these chaotic times.

[giumetti]

Amazing. The fusion of traditional and technology is mesmerizing. ❤

[bearadactyl]

Tiny desk always helps me find new, amazing musicians ❤

[yvescolomb]

Total emotions, with Zar Electrik... France- Marseille on tiny desk

[arigatoyakuza]

watttt a moroccan artist, he is unbeleivable woooow

[frizza]

First time hearing them . Fantastic..love that rhythm.

[yourgirldp]

Another great band/artist I’ve been introduced to through NPR and Tiny Desk❤👏🏽 Thank you!

[teddykasteel]

Tiny Desk is bussin' these days 👌🏽

[imnotnever]

All of this was so enriching, thank you, so good. Lovely.

[Broyeursdimages]

Énorme, bravo les garçons ! Toujours aussi bon, faut que vous passiez au Havre! J'ai les pulls et les bonnets pour les marseillais !

[mazzanichloe]

@AnassZineOfficiel Whaou bravo ! C’est vraiment la classe 🎉

[juembellion]

Une belle découverte, merci Tiny Desk !

[hiramgonzalez]

Oh yes! I’m sold!!! So glad I tuned in.

[jstn]

Saw you guys at RS2024 and I was not ready to have my mind blown like that. Insane show.

[ryandmaal]

that music puts a smile on your face 😄

[sarafusafi]

I love NPR for the musical journeys. Think about it... Yesterday we had Chocolate Droppa, today, Zar Elektrik.

What could be better than that?

Bravo, NPR team.

[MundiaKamau]

Great performance. The different cultures from different parts of the world featured on Tiny Desk make Tiny Desk a United Nations (UN) of a kind of it's own. And I love the way English is spoken with a French accent. I'm pretty sure too that French speakers love the way French is spoken with an English accent. Regards, Michael M. Kamau, Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa, 2nd April 2025.