rachidtaha.artistes.universalmusic.fr

French-Algerian artist Rachid Taha brings a powerful fusion of traditional Arabic rai music and modern rock, punk, and dance music. With his raw, rough vocal style and influences ranging from Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and Marvin Gaye to Kraftwerk and Public Enemy, Taha is a formidable talent and an unforgettable performer.

Taha was born in Western Algeria at the peak of the Independence War. Ten years later, in 1968, his family relocated to France. In his twenties, Taha worked odd jobs including factory work, and explored his music interests as a DJ at a small club in Lyon. In the early 1980’s, he formed the rock group Carte de Sejour (Green Card) with two fellow co-workers from North Africa.  The band’s style of punk-rock was heavily influenced by Algerian rai music.  In 1983, Steve Hillage produced the band’s first album, Rhoromanie, an album which would be the beginning of a continuing collaborative relationship between Taha and Hillage.

However, it was Carte de Sejour’s sneering Arabic-tinged cover of Charles Trenet’s “Douce France,” a popular patriotic wartime ballad, which brought attention to the band. President Mitterand’s notorious minister of culture, Jack Lang, distributed copies of the single to every member of the French parliament. While Carte de Sejour had made its mark, the group eventually split up in 1989. Taha then traveled to Oran, the home of rai, where he immersed himself in local music. Upon his return to France he released a solo album, Barbès, in 1991, which was named for one of Paris’ immigrant ghettos.

Taha released a self-titled effort in 1995 with producer Steve Hillage, which resulted in the hit single, “Voilà Voilà.” Taha followed up with the albums Ole Ole and Diwan. In 1998 Taha toured the world and shared the stage with rai  kings Khaled and Faudel at a landmark concert in Paris that was later released as the best-selling, two-CD set Un Deux Trois Soleil (One, Two, Three Star). In 2000, Taha released Made in Medina, which was recorded in Paris, London, Marrakech, and New Orleans. The album garnered a “Victoires de la Musique” statuette, the French equivalent of a Grammy. Taha’s 2004 release, Tekitoi, includes an Arabic cover of The Clash’s hit “Rock the Casbah.”  On his latest release on Wrasse Records, titled Diwan 2, Taha explores a range of musical influences from Algeria and the exile population in France, as well as traditional French and Egyptian influences.