Dub Fusion from Syna Awel

Over the last few years, Syna Awel has built an artistic world where history, memory and music meet in constant conversation. As a Franco-Algerian Kabyle singer, percussionist, songwriter and storyteller, she draws from Amazigh oral traditions while embracing jazz, soul, Mediterranean rhythms and contemporary global influences. In her artistic vision, heritage is not something fixed in the past but approached as a living language, allowing ancestral melodies and stories to coalesce into modern arrangements, resulting in music that feels timeless in spirit while remaining tethered to the present.

Even her artistic name reflects that philosophy; “Awel,” meaning ‘word’ or ‘speech’ in the Berber language, captures the wider context of her creative identity and through voice, rhythm and storytelling, Syna transforms personal experience into something highly engaging, exploring themes of identity, freedom, memory and cultural transmission. Every composition becomes another chapter in a larger conversation about where we come from and how those origins continue to shape us going forward.

Raised within a musical family, she developed an early appreciation for the power of performance and storytelling before further developing her artistic vision through important encounters with artists including Idir, Jimmy Cliff and Karim Ziad. Her artistic outlook found full expression in 2024 through her album Awel, directed by Karim Ziad and composed by Syna herself, offering a record that brought together the traditions of her Amazigh cultural heritage and contemporary musical expression.

Storytelling also extends beyond music in Syna’s creative practice and as the author of children’s tales inspired by both her songs and family history, she continues exploring the importance of passing stories between generations. That output has earned recognition from international media and broadcasters including FIP, RFI, La Strada, El Watan and La Fringale Culturelle, reflecting the broad appeal of an artist whose work flows across geographical and cultural boundaries.

Last September, Syna expanded her creative sphere further with “Arioul,” the title piece from a new Berber tale published by Imago Records. Arranged by Karim Ziad, the album brings together Syna alongside Ziad, pianist and flautist David Aubaile, and bassist Pierre Bonnet. Sung primarily in Berber with passages in French, its ten songs stitch together oriental atmospheres, bendirs, krakebs and derboukas while allowing jazz-influenced piano harmonies and even subtle Occitan influences to arise. Now she brings us her latest release with “Arioul in Dub,” created alongside Grayssoker.

By placing Syna’s Kabyle vocals and Amazigh storytelling within a deep dub-focused environment brimming with electronic textures and expansive low-end production, Syna frames the song in a hypnotic setting of grooving rhythms and immersive arrangement. Brought in by the bright flash of instrumental notes, the patter of percussion brings in a steady rhythmic flow that expands with skanked chords and expressive vocal leads spinning lively melodies above. Crafting a fiercely original sound that modern but tinged with a connection to ancient musical practices, “Arioul in Dub” delivers an engrossing musical moment unlike any other.

Peppered with warm brass tones and piquant instrumental flickers, the track presents a mesmeric listening experience that takes the composition and places in an exciting new setting. As this fascinating new chapter in Syna Awel’s story continues to play out, she’s sure to impress listeners around the world with her visionary artistic offering. Through every project, Syna Awel reveals how cultural heritage is not something preserved through repetition alone but through meaningful reinvention and by bringing Amazigh storytelling into dialogue with jazz, world music, Mediterranean rhythms and now dub, she creates work that honours its origins while taking it forward into unexplored areas.

Listen to Arioul in Dub below

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