Rachid Aous

Various Artists - Algeria - Treasures Of Algerian Music (2003) {2CDs Institut du Monde Arabe-Harmonia Mundi}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 596 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 350 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 241 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2003 IMA / Harmonia Mundi / Djazair | 321.054.055
World / International / African Traditions / Algerian / North African

To all but the hardcore followers of Algerian music, the names of the performers on this double-CD set will mean nothing. But to those who love (or want to discover) the roots of modern Algerian music, these 30 tracks, culled from the vaults of Algerian radio, are a treasure trove. From the sha'bi (or chaabi) style, the people's music with its accessible sound and sweeping lyrics, and frequent guitar accompaniment, or the roots of the better-known rai, the hawz, or the folk Kabyle style, which was revitalized after the Second World War (well-represented here by Slimane Azem, this covers a very wide and gratifying range). Probably the only familiar track here is the stirring "Ya Rayah," which was covered in the mid-'90s by Rachid Taha, although in its own way, the original rocks very hard. But never mind the unfamiliarity; this is all remarkable stuff indeed, performed with a rare fire and grace.

Forming a male/female duet, Algerian singers Chaba Fadela and Cheb Sahraoui demonstrate the richness of modern neo-rai music on Hana Hana. Known as "pop-rai," the type of music they embrace on this captivating recording mixes Algerian rai with elements of Western pop. The result is a captivating hybrid that is as haunting and addictive as more traditional Arab and Middle Eastern music, yet has a definite freshness. The production is decidedly high-tech.

Goran Bregovic - Three Letters From Sarajevo (2017) {Universal Music 578 2234}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 260 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 94 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 96 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2017 Tetak / Mercury / Universal Music | 578 2234
World Music / Balkan Music / Gypsy Music

Goran Bregović has done it all. A rock star in the former Yugoslavia, he went on write film scores and ride the fashion for brassy Balkan Gypsy music, selling over 6m albums and collaborating with everyone from Iggy Pop to the Gipsy Kings. Now he celebrates the history of his birthplace Sarajevo, a meeting place for Christians, Muslims and Jews before the Balkan war, with a wildly varied set. There are instrumental pieces honouring the three religions, each dominated by a different violinist, and including powerful atmospheric work from Tunisia’s Zied Zouari. They would work well as a documentary soundtrack. And then there are songs, many of which develop into a brassy knees-up. The cast includes the cool and dramatic Spanish singer Bebe, the Israeli folk-rocker Asaf Avidan, and – best of all – the exuberant Algerian rai-punk rocker Rachid Taha. Patchy, maybe, but often enormous fun.