In the High Atlas, when one climbs up the sinewy trail leading to the Ayt Bou Gmez valley, all sign of modern life fades away, leaving man alone with the sky and earth and nothing between.
Water is the element around which the essential gestures of life fit together. Either spontaneous or interpreted, the music naturally expresses this primeval universe : the songs of women in high polyphonies, in youyous or in ritornelles, accompany every action.
The flute and the frame drum are the only instruments played by the men, in particular when, at nightfall, the villagers assemble to dance Adersi, the dance recalling the cosmic round dance.