Featuring Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek and Asmâa Hamzaoui & Bnat Timbouktou.
In this electrifying double-bill, witness a celebration of musical cultures that transcends borders and defies convention. As part of their 2026 national tour including appearances at WOMAD, Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek and Asmâa Hamzaoui & Bnat Timbouktou make their Melbourne Recital Centre debut in a back-to-back journey through ritual and rebellion, honouring sacred traditions whilst fearlessly challenging the status quo.
Asmâa Hamzaoui & Bnat Timbouktou
Asmâa Hamzaoui stands at the forefront of a new generation transforming Morocco's rich Gnawa tradition. As the country's leading female maalma (spiritual master), she and her all-women ensemble Bnat Timbouktou are breaking centuries of male-dominated musical tradition with a sound that is at once deeply rooted and boldly forward-looking.
Born into a Casablanca family steeped in Gnawa heritage, Asmâa and her sister Aïcha blend guembri (a three-stringed lute) and qraqeb (metal castanets) rhythms into hypnotic, female-driven energy. Embodying a form of cultural preservation through evolution, their performances are visceral and trance-like, with Asmâa's commanding voice summoning both healing and joy.
Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek
Experience the show-stopping intensity of Derya Yıldırım backed by the psychedelic soul of Grup Şimşek as they perform their latest album, Yarın Yoksa. Produced by Grammy-winning Leon Michels (El Michels Affair), this standout record challenges genre with a powerful message.
Referring to themselves as "outernational" over international, suggesting a sound that's more inclusive, the group embodies borderless musical identity. Derya, who sings and plays the bağlama (a seven-stringed Turkish lute), is German-born to Turkish parents. Drummer Helen Wells is Berlin-based by way of South Africa, whilst keyboard player Graham Mushnik and guitar/bass player Antonin Voyant are both French. The collective influences they bring to Anatolian folk music make for a completely fresh sound, one that pushes the genre forward whilst championing its rich heritage.
Special Guests
Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek and Asmâa Hamzaoui & Bnat Timbouktou will be supported by Surprise Chef / College of Knowledge DJs.
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