The ballad of Bab Doukkala

The most striking feature of the original field recording is dozens of motorbikes and scooters zooming past and dodging their way through the pedestrians. Throughout the day when it's busier they can only pass very slowly, but with sparser crowds at night they rip past us on both sides.This composition brings to life some of the energy of the city of Marrakesh by night, with the instrumentation highlighting the buzz and busyness on all sides. It's about absorbing the city and feeling energised by it, rather than drained. The motorbike recordings punctuate each turn of phrase, and no motorbike sound is used twice - there are 20 separate bike passes from the recording isolated and used as part of the flow of the composition.Bab Doukkala streetscape reimagined by Cities and Memory.