May: I Come Again - Rachid Taha

On March 28, I shared a posthumous release by Rachid Taha - Je Suis Africain here. 

 

The legendary Algerian singer Rachid Taha, known as "The King of Rock & Rai" died in September 2018. Taha hit the peak of his popularity in the 1990s, thanks to versions of timeless Arabic hits "Ya Rayah" & "Abdel Kader" (the latter with fellow Algerian singers, rai masters Cheb Khaled & Faudel).

One of Taha's longtime collaborators was English guitarist / producer Steve Hillage, who first met Taha back in 1982. At the time, Taha was frontman of the Arab-Franco rock band Carte de Séjour ('residence permit').

This one is Carte Blanche, a compilation consisting of songs Taha recorded with Carte de Séjour (Mohammed Amini, Mokthar Amini, & Jérôme Savy - tracks 2-6) along with songs from his more recent solo albums, produced by Steve Hillage. It begins with one of his most popular songs, "Ya Rayah". 

 

Rachid Taha & Carte De Séjour – Carte Blanche 2xCD, Barclay, 1997.
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CD1 -
Ya Rayah
Douce France
Bleu De Marseille
Rhorhomanie
Ramsa
Zoubida
Barbès
Bled
Malika
Voilà, Voilà
Indie (vocal version / 1+1+1...)
Non Non Non (original version)
Valencia
Jungle Fiction
Kelma


CD2 -
Kelma (Overload mix)
Non Non Non (Stacey Pullen Electro Funk Dub mix)
Rhorhomanie (Steve Hillage remix)
Indie (Percussion Frenzy mix)
Voilà, Voilà (Lion Rock Orchestra Dub)

 

Revisiting,
NØ

Musick that Needed Work - R: Rachid Taha

 

Rachid Taha was a French-Algerian singer best known for fusing rock with raï, a form of traditional Algerian folk. Taha was born in 1958 in Algeria but moved to Lyon, France with his family at age 10. In his early twenties, he founded the nightclub Les Refoulés (The Rejects) where he created multi-cultural mash-ups by splicing elements of Arabic pop songs with backbeats from artists as varied as Led Zeppelin, Bo Diddley, & Kraftwerk.

 

Taha emerged as a solo artist in the late 80s. Steve Hillage, former guitarist of psych-prog outfit Gong produced the majority of Taha's catalogue which utilized punk to raï to electronica. The singer's final LP, 2013s Zoom, featured guest spots from Brian Eno & Clash guitarist Mick Jones.

This CD was released after Taha's 2018 death. It is as varied as usual & a great example of the man's creative excellence.

 

Rachid Taha - Je Suis Africain, Naive M7062, 2019.
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Ansit
Aïta
Minouche
Je Suis Africain
Wahdi featuring Flèche Love - vocals
Insomnia
Andy Waloo
Striptease
Like a Dervish
Happy End

 

 

Enjoy,
NØ