WORLD & FOLK

Abdou Guité Seck was born on the picturesque island of Saint Louis. Already at the age of 13, he was voted the “Golden voice” of this historic town. Since then, this precocious talent has flowered into the most promising singers in this music-mad nation. Seck was part of the Wock formation that took the Radio France International Discoveries award in 2000 and has since forged a promising career that allies his African heritage with western pop.

How do you organise a collision between Celtic and West African music without one or the other being quashed? The answer is simple. By orchestrating the encounter within a "Sound System" in which rhythms and effects close to dub or drum'n'bass highlight the purity of the Irish flute, kora, Celtic harp or balafon.

A high-pitched, warm voice with delicate orchestrations : Baaba Maal's music is a reflection of the man himself. Slender and refined, with a hint of sophistication. And above all an incredible sense of rhythm.

Piercing eyes, patchwork clothes and long dreadlocks. A man hard to miss, hallmark of a true 'figurehead'.

One of Senegal's leading rap groups, Daara J (the school of life) mixes rap with reggae, ragga and even Cuban sounds.

The Senegalese rap duo Positive Black Soul was born of a fusion between two ambitious DJs from Dakar, Didier J. Awadi and Amadou Barry, aka Doug E. Tee. In the 80s the two teenagers had competed with each other at the head of two local groups, the Syndicate and King MCs. Their rivalry disappeared in the course of a birthday party Awadi threw on August 10th, 1989. Their common values, high quality rapping and complementary voices gave birth to Senegal’s first major hip hop band, PBS.

L’une des étoiles montantes de la musique africaine. Intensément actuelle, sa musique est à l’écoute des sonorités du monde tout en restant -par essence- sénégalaise.

As a teenager in Madagascar, Réégis Gizavo played with a number of amateur. At 25, once he'd finished college, he set out on a journey across Madagascar, which allowed him to play with many musicians, both traditional and modern.

"Amadou and Mariam, the blind couple of Mali" : for years that has been their slogan. The duo produces music that mixes traditional Mali sound with rock guitars, Syrian violins, Cuban trumpets, Egyptian ney, Columbian trombones, Indian tablas and Dogon percussion. All these elements put together make an infectious mix of funky Afro-blues, punchy and pleasant to listen to. In 2004, they brought out “Dimanche à Bamako”, a collaboration with Manu Chao that went gold in France. It also bagged a “Victoires de la Musique” award 2005, a recompense for the couple’s courage and the faith put in them by the newly-born French label Because.

Highly reputed percussionist and tamani player, Baba Sissoko has accompanied many of Mali's celebrities including Rokia Traoré, Habib Koite and Ami Koita. In 1991 he founded his own group 'Taman-Kan'. He currently lives in Italy.

Mursal spent seven months crossing the Horn of Africa, mostly on foot, in search of a home. Accompanied by her five children, she fled the civil war that was ravaging her native Somalia: "With my own eyes, I saw dogs devouring human beings, animals feeding on corpses in the street. That was when I knew it was time to leave". Her odyssey ended at the Danish Embassy in Djibouti, where she obtained the visa that allowed her to start a new life in Denmark.

Mory Kanté was born into one of Guinea's best known families of griot (hereditary) musicians in 1950. His grandfather Djeli Mory Sanda Kamissoko would perform for local Mande dignitaries in upper Guinea and his father El Hadj Djeli Fode Kanté taught him the balafon at a very early age. In his early teens, Mory was sent to neighbouring Mali to join his aunt, the singer Manamba Kamissoko, on the wedding circuit. In 1973, Kanté replaced Salif Keita as lead singer for the "Super Rail Band de Bamako". For the next decade he forged a singular reputation in Mali and Côte d'Ivoire as an outstanding vocalist and player of the kora. But the political and economic turmoil of the region encouraged the Guinean to leave for Paris. Within three years Kanté became a household name thanks to the planetary success of "Yéké Yéké", Africa's best-ever selling hit (one million copies). Since then, he has become known as one of the continent's greatest ambassadors, alternating classy live concerts around the world with slick releases which include contributions from his family members. Mory Kanté's trademark white boubou and affectionately sleepy smile continue to grace public appearances steeped in the griot tradition.

How could a 19-year-old albino boy, descendant from the founder of Mali’s kingdom in the 13th century, turn his back on convention and become one of Africa’s greatest musicians? Only Salif Keita can truly answer that enigma. Since he arrived in Paris in 1984 the singer has established himself as one of the most celebrated personalities in “world music”.

Femi Anikulapo Kuti was born in London in 1962 but grew up in Lagos, raised by his mother Remi who was separated from his legendary father, Fela. Yet Femi spent enough time with his father to be deeply influenced by Fela's raw musicality and enraged political activism.

Born in 1965 in Lady Selbourne near Pretoria, Vusi Mahlasela has established himself as one of the major contemporary artists of South Africa. His nightingale voice and its remarkable octave-leaping range is complemented by thoughtful lyrics addressing social and political issues in his homeland. Mahlasela’s international notoriety reached a new peak thanks to the songs he contributed to the soundtrack of the outstanding documentary “Amandla! A revolution in four-part harmony.”

Faytinga comes from the Kunama people, one of Eritrea's many tribes, where women enjoy equal rights with the men. Her father was war hero Faïïd Tinga, and at the age of fourteen she had already joined her country's armed struggle for independence from neighbouring Ethiopian rule.

Ejigayehu "Gigi" Shibabaw sings to the beauty of women and Ethiopia's landscapes, inspired by ancient Amharic poetry and the music of the Azmari minstrels.

Avec Dibango, Cesaria, et quelques autres, il fait partie de ces parisiens d'adoption qui ont transformé la capitale française en carrefour de la sono mondiale. "Didi" et "Aïcha" ont fait le tour du monde, et Khaled est une star dans de nombreux pays où le nom même de "raï" est inconnu. Qu'importe ! A Oran, on sait bien que sans le raï, le mot "liberté" n'aurait aujourd'hui plus du tout de sens. Khaled Hadj Brahim, alias Khaled.

The very presence of rai singer Cheb Mami is a symbol that life wins out over all. Mami used to sing about love, about hearts broken by passion, about joy. But after the nightmarish turn of current events in Algeria and elsewhere, he has become a bit more sober. Or mature (if you prefer). In Meli meli, his latest album, he also sings about an Algeria that has been torn apart, and about life in the northern outskirts of Paris, where things aren't always easy.

Grande figure de la chanson kabyle, chanteur phare de l'Algérie militante depuis les années 70, Idir vit aujourd'hui en exil en France. A l'abri des modes, ce grand poète poursuit son chemin.

Khaled Habib El-Kebich composes and performs a genre of music which is both traditional and modern. He has developed a personal musical mix in which he blends different musical styles as well as music from all over the world and creates an exciting and unique musical style which is both innovative and captivating.

La musique d’Hasna el Bécharia est une chose inouïe, d’une force incroyable. Venue de Béchar (ville située au sud de l’Algérie), Hasna est une femme du désert, libre et sans concession. Et parce que le public chantait ses chansons pendant les concerts, pour couvrir les voix et se faire entendre, elle s’est mise à la guitare électrique.

The Orchestre National de Barbès (ONB) is more like a hydra than a musical ensemble, with its protean structure varying according to the availability of its twenty-odd members. One night there might be three guitarists giving the music an African tone and at the next night's concert, one of them might be replaced by a violinist.

Souad Massi has a golden voice and a sparkling talent. She has invented a delicately harmonious Algerian folk-rock based on humanist and sensitive lyrics.
Born in Algers on 23 August 1972, Souad is from a family of artists. She knew she would be a singer from an early age. As a little girl with a strong voice she studied classical Arab-Andalusian music, music theory and universal classical music. These years of study have made her into a rigorous composer with a keen sense of instrumentation.

Entre James Brown et le chaâbi, en passant par les Wailers, la route de Jimmy Oihid est pavée de prestigieux chemins de traverse. Chanteur exceptionnel qui refuse de se laisser enfermer (que ce soit dans un style ou dans une maison de disque), Jimmy est un combattant généreux, un type qui résiste. Un petit bonhomme avec un cœur gros comme ça.

Véritable star dans son pays, Naïma Dziria est aveugle de naissance. Sa voix exceptionnelle lui a pourtant ouvert les portes du succès. Elle est repérée dans une émission télévisée en 1983, depuis elle ne cesse de chanter les styles hawzi et chaâbi avec excellence.

Frais, gai et pétillant, Takfarinas a popularisé une musique kabyle méconnue du grand public, celle des danses frétillantes et des foulards à frange, la guitare électrique en plus.

Groupe phare du rap algérien, ils sont quatre -comme les Mousquetaires, ou les éléments- et sont très nerveux. Parlant sans détour de la corruption, des disparus, des femmes violées, du terrorisme au quotidien... Bref, de l'Algérie d'aujourd'hui, sur fond de samples très travaillés, ils chantent en dépit des menaces et leur courage n'égale que leur talent.

Mélange d'énergie, d'audace et de candeur, les cinq divas berbères de Bnet Marrakech dégagent un magnétisme irrésistible.
Leurs chants d'amour et de révolte s'égrènent au fil des rythmes hypnotiques des chaâbi, raï, gnawa, houara et ferda.

Mohammed Sahraoui has consistently expanded on the musical traditions of Algeria's rai. A highly skilled pianist who studied at Oran's conservatory of music , he was the first rai artist to incorporate a synthesizer into his arrangements. Sahraoui initially attracted international attention with a duo that he shared with his wife, Cheba Fadela, for more than a decade and a half. Performing as a soloist beginning in the late '90s when the partnership split, his debut solo album, Un Homme Libre (A Free Man), was released in 2000. Sahraoui launched his musical career by singing rai classics in the nightclubs of Oran. His first hit, "Ana Mahlali Noum," was released in 1978, although his greatest success came when he joined his wife to record the hit song "N'sel Fik. The single became an international hit.

Natif d’Oran, au coeur du pays du raï, il triomphe sur toutes les scènes.

il est l’apôtre de la nouvelle génération du raï chaleureux, festif et arc en ciel.

Inutile de vous demander de retenir le nom de Cheb Bilal, car il y a fort à parier qu’il sera bientôt l’une des grandes stars du raï. Il est jeune, plein de talent, bien entouré, tous les ingrédients sont là pour qu’il dure et s’installe confortablement auprès de ceux qui hier le faisaient rêver. Avec son album Sidi Sidi, Bilal joue déjà dans la cour des grands. Sans conteste.

Since the early eighties, his nomadic crossover music has inspired so many imaginary journeys. First with the group Carte de Séjour, then solo, Rachid Taha has always sought to conjure up and mix the influences of his native orient. From the reggae/rock/rai sounds of his early days, he now succeeds in orchestrating the improbable encounter between rock, traditional Arabic music and electro. The result is a set of rare pearls, amongst which his wild cover version of the Clash’s Rock the Casbah figuring on his new album Tekitoi ? Raw – sometimes almost tribal – and suave, Rachid Taha’s talent assumes its true dimension above all during his live performances.

Comming Soon!

Ne m'appelez pas Cheb, mais Cheikh ! Cheb Abdou revendique haut et fort l'héritage des maîtres, mais surtout des maîtresses du Raï, les meddahates. Ces cheikhates chantaient des textes parfois impudiques pour la plus grande joie de l'auditoire, accompagnées simplement de percussions, et exclusivement pour un public féminin. Abdou a grandit au milieu des femmes, dans les pattes des cheikhates qu'il suivait dès l'âge de 12 ans dans les fêtes et les mariages. Mais à la différence de certains chanteurs de raï Abdou n'est pas un pilleur il revendique et rend hommage à ces sources, Remitti, Djenia, Rabia…

Comming Soon!

Après de nombreuses années d’expérience en tant qu’accompagnateur, compositeur et arrangeur, décide de créer sa propre musique avec un nouveau style : une synthèse de la musique Raï, née et enrichie grâce aux empreintes accumulées au fil des années (jazz, salsa, funk, variétés, soul music de la Motown…).

Plus de vingt ans après leur album mythique, la musique de Raina Rai reste plus vivante que jamais. Bien avant la vague Rai des cheb Khaled ou Mami, Raina Rai avait déjà aboli les frontières, et posé les bases d'une musique maghrébine festive et débridée. En mélangeant des rythmes locaux à une guitare résolument rock, en construisant des chansons structurées comme des véritables petites merveilles mélodiques, les musiciens de Raina Rai anticipaient sur ce qui devrait être la grande découverte des années 90 : la fusion.
En 2005, des morceaux comme Taila, Zina ou Rani Mhayer continuent d'être joués avec ferveur par des musiciens qui ont grandis avec ces sons.