Abbar el Hamada : Aziza Brahim CD. Recorded Summer 2015 by Marc Tena Aguade at Sol De Sants Studio, Barcelona. Mixed Chris Eckman at Studio Zuma, Ljubljana. Mastered by Pavel Karlik at Sono Studios. Producer Chris Eckman. Released 2016 by Glitterbeat.

This CD title means across the hamada is the word used by the Saharawi people to describe the rocky desert landscape along the Algerian/Western Saharan frontier. The CD was used by The Audiophile Man (Paul Rigby) to test the Auva range of vibration absorbing feet/footers under his One Thing Audio Rupert Stands on which sat Quad 57 speakers.

This Western Saharan musician/activist Aziza Brahim wrote the entire album

Raised in a Saharawi refugee camp in the Algerian desert, and living in exile for more than two decades (first in Cuba and currently in Barcelona), Brahim’s life and music embodies both the tragedies and hopes of the present-day migrant and refugee experience. She appeared on Later With Jools Holland on the BBC, quite an accolade...

I bought that CD to evaluate the Auva 50's fitted to the OTA Quad 57 stands using his evaluation as a sort of bench mark. With the Auva 50's the CD sounded very good with the Auva 70's percussion not just drums but blocks etc & acoustic/electric guitars are much better still. I would not argue with The Audiophile man when he wrote. "With the Stack Audio AUVA 70 feet in place? Errr, blimey! I mean….blimey! I felt like I needed to suddenly sit up straight and pay attention. I actually did do that, without realising. As if the music had just woken up. The entire soundstage was suddenly precise and focused. The mids were crisp. The treble was exacting. The bass was even tighter than before. It started and stopped on a pin head".

Seemingly little known in the UK, Aziza Brahim is a great performer/songwriter the third track El canto de la arena is a rich conglomeration of voice & instruments unfamiliar to me, using the Auva 70's after the Auva 50's my OTA Quad 57's seem to be on steroids I can offer no better description than to quote Paul Rigby "The entire soundstage was" is "suddenly precise and focused. The mids were crisp. The treble was exacting. The bass was even tighter than before. It started and stopped on a pin head".

I highly recommend this album, very much not my usual fare I do not need to understand her words the whole just works as music.