New Music
Julian Belbachir unveils M'Bara Meskin, a Gnawa song spanning five continents
By Markus Hamence
Julian Belbachir today releases M'Bara Meskin, the first single from his forthcoming album The Golden Light (February 2027), a traditional Moroccan Gnawa song recorded across Morocco, Mali, Australia, Canada and Jamaica that blends dub and reggae influences with spiritual themes of devotion and marginalisation. The song features collaborators from Belbachir's musical network across continents, part of a wider album project that draws on Takamba, Gnaoua, Fula Folly and desert blues traditions with more than 30 musicians from Mali and Morocco.
Sydney-born, Morocco-steeped multi-instrumentalist Julian Belbachir today unveils M’Bara Meskin, the first single from his forthcoming new album.
M'Bara Meskin is a traditional Moroccan Gnawa song recorded across Morocco, Mali, Australia, Canada and Jamaica, bringing together the musical heritage of these connected traditions reimagined with the deep influence of dub and reggae.
It tells the story of Mbara, the "poor" or unfortunate one, left standing outside the sacred shrine in ripped clothes, brewing tea from discarded leaves, while Sidi and Lalla remain comfortable within, sipping tea in their slippers. Framed by repeated invocations of God and Allah, the song carries a spiritual weight alongside its themes of devotion, hardship and marginalisation, preserving, within the wider Gnawa tradition, the memory of those left on the margins.
"M'Bara Meskin brings together my musical family across continents, all united in a vision of creating accessible, contemporary traditional music together," says Belbachir.
"Diving deeper into the music of my ancestral homelands in North Africa, I'm honoured that my collaborators have shared this journey with me, bringing their own understanding of culture into the concept. Working on this song while travelling between countries has opened up so many creative possibilities - each one leading me somewhere new
Belbachir's forthcoming album The Golden Light, due in February 2027, is inspired by the fleeting golden hour before dusk in North Africa. Recorded over two years across Mali, Morocco, Australia and Canada, and produced in partnership with Godriguez (GODTET), co-produced and co-written by Alex Richardson, the album draws on Takamba, Gnaoua, Fula Folly and desert blues traditions, reworked through Belbachir's contemporary production sensibility.
The album features more than 30 musicians from Mali and Morocco, including Barou Diallo (former bassist for Ali Farka Touré and Oumou Sangaré), Mamadou Kouyaté(lead singer, Toumani Diabaté's Symmetric Orchestra), Bassidi Kone (internationally recognised djembe and balafon master) and Moussa Diakite (lead guitarist for Salif Keita).
Of Australian and Moroccan heritage and raised in Sydney and mentored from the age of five by master African drummers and griots, Belbachir spent two decades studying traditional percussion and instrument-making across Guinea, Senegal, Mali and Morocco. He spent over a decade as drummer for acclaimed Australian Indigenous dub outfit Oka, touring 35 countries between 2013 and 2022, before launching his solo career following the passing of Oka founder Stuart "Boga" Fergie.
His 2022 debut album BABDOUKKALA earned a 5-star review from Songlines and a Top 10 placing on the European world music charts, taking him to stages including WOMADelaide, Vivid Sydney and festivals across Morocco, North America and Europe, including Glastonbury, Visa for Music (Rabat), Zamane Festival (Sahara), Dar Souiri (Essaouira), Desert Songs (Alice Springs) .
Alongside his performing career, Belbachir has built a strong reputation as a producer working with Indigenous artists worldwide, including Sing Your Own Song by senior Yolŋu elder Andrew Gurriwiwi (winner of three 2025 NIMA Awards), two JUNO-nominated albums with Canadian First Nations artist Leonard Sumner, recording work with Empire of the Sun and Pnau, Abdel Banaddi’s debut album A Dream in Essaouira, and Moussa Diakite’s Mali-recorded album Blue Magic.
