Mohamed Fouiteh | Aalach Ya Aiouni (Philips)

Born Mohamed El Tadlawy in Fez in 1928, Moroccan composer, oudist, and singer Mohamed Fouiteh sang in both Arabic and Tamazight; we are not sure in which language this particular song was sung. 

Fouiteh's early influences included Egyptian superstars Farid al-Atrash, Muhammad Abdel Wahab, and Oum Kalthoum. After moving to Paris in the late 40s, he met Abdel Wahab, who encouraged him to dig deeper into his Moroccan roots and sing in the Moroccan dialect.

According to legend, it was Fouiteh who introduced Warda to Abdel Wahab, and thus launching her career. Many of his songs are said to be deliberately obscure references to then-current events in an attempt to avoid attention from the French colonialists. 

"Aalach Ya Aiouni" is an amazing recording, consisting of a 6+ minute A side and a "suite" of the song on Side B. We have combined the two sides into a single, more-or-less seamless MP3.

(Listen to "Aalach Ya Aiouni")