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MC Rai
MC Rai: Raivolution
by Chris M. Slawecki
Born in southern Tunisia in 1977, MC Rai proved so adept in the native chaabi folk music tradition that he was performing on local radio stations before his eighth birthday. Like most teenagers, his musical horizons expanded as he grew and his ears soon embraced the sounds of rai music, folk music native to neighboring Algeria, and hip-hop and other modern electronic music.
Now shouting out from San Francisco, MC Rai presents his fusion of chaabi, rai and ...
Continue ReadingDubbed Out in Bucharest: Mahala Rai Banda’s Balkan Reggae
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Chris M. Slawecki
When Romania’s Romany pop supergroup Mahala Rai Banda set cimbaloms skanking a few years ago on “Balkan Reggae,” reggae DJs around Europe perked up and started dropping the track into their sets. It was merely a matter of time before the obvious next step came. In honor of Jamaica’s 50 years of independence in 2012, Mahala Rai Banda reached out to Caribbean-inspired remixers. The result: Balkan Reggae Remixed (Asphalt Tango). A diverse crew of producers added their stamp to the ...
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Dave Burrell Plays His Songs Featuring Leena Conquest (Rai Trade, 2010)
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Music and More by Tim Niland
Pianist Dave Burrell and vocalist Leena Conquest have both been associated with the jazz avant-garde, Burrell on the basis of some very influential records as a leader and a sideman since the 1960's, and Conquest for her wonderful singing on various projects by bassist William Parker. On this album they defy any easy pigeon holing or categorization, performing a set of Burrell's original compositions and lyrics. Collaborating with poet and lyricist Monika Larsson, Burrell develops a set of lyrics that ...
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Algerian Singer Mixes Rock and Rai
Source:
Michael Ricci
An old-school rock star headlined SummerStage in Central Park on Saturday afternoon.
Grinning and unshaven, he strutted around the stage, sang in a knowing growl and cued his band for extended, hard-grooving versions of songs using fuzz-toned guitar riffs over a dance beat.
Rachid Taha, the Algerian rock star, with his band at Central Park SummerStage on Saturday wore a leather fedora, then switched to a red cowboy hat. He dumped a bottle of water onto audience members -- redundant, ...
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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson
