Master Musicians of Joujouka

Morocco's legendary trance music

Brion Gysin

The modern reputation of The Masters Musicians of Joujouka is deeply associated with the Beat Generation.

In 1951, Hamri introduced Brion Gysin to the music and musicians of Joujouka. Gysin was instantly captivated and wished to hear the Sufi trance masters every day. Together with Hamri he set up the 1001 Nights restaurant in Tangier and they brought Joujouka musicians to play there on a rotation basis. At this time, Tangier was an international zone (the Interzone of William Burroughs’ fiction). For several years the Masters played daily to the Western audience that the 1001 Nights attracted.

When Morocco gained its independence, the restaurant’s clientele disappeared and Gysin moved to Paris. Having earlier shunned Burroughs in Tangier, he accidentally met him on a Paris street and was soon living in the same cheap “Left Bank” hotel in rue Git le Coeur. The hotel became known as “The Beat Hotel” and was a hotbed of creativity.