Those into getting out there with mind-altering rhythm-based music like Dub and Jungle might want to explore Gnawa music, which has sent people into intense trances for generations. Gnawa's sharp percussion and chanted invocations don't let listeners zone out as they might to ambient music, but rather keeps them mesmerized by every pop of string and clap of metal.

For centuries, Gnawa music has been played in the Djema El Fna (Assembly of the Dead), a large square in Marrakech, Morocco, that serves as a gathering place for both locals and North African traders. With an audience of snake charmers, hustlers, tourists, and travelers, the rhythmic clacking of the large metal clappers known as quaraqeb, the deep-plucked notes of the sentir, and the heartfelt chanting of the invocations provide both a soundtrack and a focus for the square's energy.

Hassan Hakmoun cut his teeth in the larger-than-life arena of the Djema El Fna. Rather than let the "keep-it-pure" sensibilities of world music categorizers stifle him, he continues the crossroads tradition of borrowing whatever music blows into the village square.

The village is global now, of course, and Hakmoun played with jazz trumpet player Don Cherry and other US musicians on his last album, Gift of the Gnawa. Despite a fusion that sometimes seemed forced, Gift is an engaging listen. The Fire Within also plays on the tensions with modern forces - and formats. The album's sentir solos and duets stretch out with a boundless desert timing - a timing this album's producers seem to have had a little trouble capturing. Some endings of the songs sound cut off, which might be oddly appropriate considering that taped Moroccan music often ends when the tape does. The redirection of psyche is the main concern of this and other trance-producing music, not overzealous perfectionism. Hassan Hakmoun is a clear winner on the psychic [274k.aiff] front, and The Fire Within might even redirect your energy.

By John Alderman