El Mostafa comes from the Atlantic port city of El Jadida, Morocco. He bought his first instrument, a Moroccan wooden flute called gasbah, as a boy. He was drawn to its sad, yet sweet sound quality, and as a teenager delved deeper into music as an emotional outlet, teaching himself to sing and play gasbah, after nightfall on El Jadida?s beaches - it was just ?me and gasbah? he recalls. He soon began playing a variety of percussive instruments including the darbukah, bendir and drum set with bands in nightclubs and parties in Morocco?s major cities. El Mostafa was most inspired by, and feels deeply indebted to older generations of Moroccan folk singers, with whom he informally apprenticed himself. Through his dedicated observation, playing percussion and singing chorus with traditional folk music groups, he learned styles such as the complex musical genre known as marsawi, traditionally performed by shikhat (professional female wedding singers) from Esfi and the region surrounding El Jadida. El Mostafa is also well-versed in a variety of sha?abi (popular music) styles, classical Moroccan song, known as maghreebi, as well as jabali (Moroccan mountain style). El Mostafa began performing at clubs in Astoria after immigrating to New York City in 2001 and now, as one of the most in demand sha?abi vocalists in the city, performs regularly at private parties such as Moroccan Jewish celebrations along Ocean Parkway and Kings Highway in Brooklyn. Despite his talent for singing standard 6/8 sha?abi songs, El Mostafa looks forward to reviving the acoustic sounds and complex rhythmic structures of marsawi here in New York ? a difficult task in New York City?s keyboard-centric Arab music scene.