The Joe Strummer of Algeria

Combative North African star Rachid Taha tells Mark Hudson why he's taking his music into gritty rock and roll venues as part of the African Soul Rebels tour

"Personally, I couldn't care less how people categorise my music", says Rachid Taha. "But I want at least to try to challenge this image of the North African in the desert with his camel". That's rather an understatement for what the Algerian singer has done.

With thick stubble and an air of elegantly bemused exhaustion, Taha cuts an exotic, gypsy-like figure. His hoarse, growling voice and provocative political opinions have made him a prominent figure in France, yet British record-buyers have found his taste for staccato electric guitar and rowdy, microphone-swinging performance more difficult to accommodate. We seem to have an attitude over here that it's not quite decent for the representative of a radically different culture, which draws on millennia-old poetic traditions, to be quite so blatantly… well, rock and roll.

This attitude is precisely what's driven Taha on to the British touring circuit in the company of acclaimed Tuareg nomad guitar band Tinariwen and Radio 3 Award-winning Senegalese rappers DAARA J in an enterprise called the African Soul Rebels Tour. The idea is to get world music out of the soporific "establishment" concert halls that have become its customary habitat, and into grittier, stand-up venues. And if there's one world music star who's capable of competing with, say, the Libertines on their own terms, it's undoubtedly Taha.

Yet he is far from being a mere North African rocker. "My music always has the smell of Algeria in it", he says. "But that's only one of many things. And it's certainly not world music. That for me is a nonsense term".

Algeria is the birthplace of raï - the rebellious youth music whose fierce, declamatory singing and driving rhythms have come to dominate our musical perceptions of North Africa. But although Taha was born in Oran, the port city where raï began, his approach has been radically different from that of raï stars such as Khaled or Cheb Mami – whose wailing tones made Sting's "Desert Rose" a hit. And this is largely because his formative experiences came not in the backstreet cabarets of Oran or Algiers, but in Lepange sur Vologne - a village in the Vosges mountains, where he lived from the age of 10. It inspired the young Taha in only one direction. "If you live in the country and you are young, there's only one thing to do: escape".

The opportunity came when his father, a textile worker, moved to Lyon, and Taha became aware of New York punk bands such as TELEVISION and SUICIDE. He formed a band with local French and North African youths, and while their name CARTE DE SÉJOUR (RESIBENCE PERMIT) was deliberately provocative, Taha's political perspectives were limited.

"When you start out, you're not thinking about politics. You're full of energy and you're raging against everything. But when you get some success and people start interpreting what you do, you're forced to look around you. I saw that 70 per cent of the prison population in France are of North African origin. In France, justice is a luxury for the rich".

He began running a club for young North Africans barred from Lyon's nightclubs, where he pioneered Arab electronica, mixing classical singers over KRAFTWERK and Giorgio Moroder – nearly two decades before this approach became fashionable.

His breakthrough came with 1995's "Olé Olé", which took raï into hardcore techno. Taha bleached his hair and wore blue contact lenses to confound what he saw as the racist expectations of French record-buyers. He also utterly confused the British world music audience, who couldn't get away from the earthy archetype of the raï singer, with its Islamic echoes. Taha - needless to say - wasn't in the least bothered.

"I'm not making North African music", he protests. "I don't understand why you keep asking me about raï".

Which might seem a touch disingenuous, given that his next album, the highly acclaimed "Diwân", is a tribute to the gritty progenitors of raï – casbah crooners and rustic growlers, such as his hero Cheikh Mamachi, who he discovered through his father's record collection. "This is the real raï", he says. "The North African blues".

Taha transposed these singers' guttural delivery and rhythmic drive into a rock context, punctuating his declamations with stabbing guitar and underpinning the buzzing bendir percussion with techno grooves. It makes for uproarious live shows, but the approach received its most bracing expression on his most recent album "Tékitoi?", which includes a euphoric tribute to THE CLASH's Joe Strummer, entitled "Rock El Casbah".

"I loved his sincerity and humour. He was never cynical. But most important, he expressed himself directly – his music says exactly what it means. One of the problems with North African music and Arab culture in general is that everything is expressed through metaphor. But these metaphors can only be understood by an educated minority. This is why there is no real democracy in any Arab country".

Indeed, despite the virulence of his assault on French complacency, Taha is equally happy to lambast his own community. "I'm against communities on principle. They thrive on suspicion of others and false nostalgia. When I was a kid and saw young North Africans only mixing with others from their community, I swore I'd never be like that. You have to go towards other people. You have to be an adventurer".

It's disconcerting then to learn that Taha's slightly shambling stage persona is due in part to a degenerative bone disease. It undoubtedly contributes to his desire to embrace so many musical challenges while he still can.

"You have to love life and everything around you. You must never allow yourself to become blase or bitter. That's the worst possible thing".

"Daily Telegraph", 10.02.2005

Rikki Stain's statement on this article

My name is Rikki Stein. I represent Rachid in the UK and the US. We have also been friends for the past 20 years. I can assure you that Rachid does not have a degenerative bone disease!!! The writer of this article is an irresponsible motherfucker. Here is the e-mail I sent to the features editor of the "Daily Telegraph" where the article appeared.

"I'm contacting you in my capacity as manager of Rachid Taha.
In November Mark Hudson reviewed Rachid's concert at the Barbican. It was a generally complimentary piece, other than expressing irritation at the manner in which Rachid tended to stagger around the stage, leaning on musicians and his mike stand. After the review appeared, Mark was informed, I believe by Jane Cornwall, that Rachid's unsteady gait was due, not to drunkenness or posing, but to an illness which affects his balance.
I was informed by Rachid's label, "Wrasse Records", that Mark was embarrassed by this news and wanted to make amends in the forthcoming feature (which appeared last Friday) by mentioning this condition. We've never previously publicised his illness and I was reluctant to do so. I explained the situation to Rachid who was equally reluctant but finally agreed. I asked "Wrasse" to have Mark call me so that I could provide him with details of Rachid's affliction.
No call came and I then received an e-mail from "Wrasse", informing me that Mark had decided not to mention Rachid's illness.
When I read the piece on Friday I was shocked to find that he'd changed his mind and described Rachid as suffering from a "degenerative bone disease" and that furthermore "It undoubtedly contributes to his desire to embrace so many musical challenges while he still can".
The reason for my ire is that Rachid's illness is not a "degenerative bone disease". He's suffering from a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy which affects one side of his body. He's been living with this for 15 years and for the past decade there has been little or no further degeneration. It's a genetic disorder with which he has learned to live and he is able to function normally, other than being somewhat unsteady on his feet. He is certainly not approaching "Death's door" as implied in Mark's piece.
I can't understand why, having decided to mention Rachid's condition, Mark chose not to call me to ascertain the "facts", particularly as I understand that his reason for bringing up the subject was by way of apologising for his previous inaccurate criticism. I have asked "Wrasse" to contact Mark since last weekend but don't believe that they have done so; reason for me now contacting you.
My main concern, other than finding this extraordinarily insensitive reference in an otherwise excellent article, is that such misinformation find its way onto the net and the next thing we'll see is that Rachid has three months to live!
I'm unsure as to what, if anything, can be done to put things right without exacerbating the situation, but I feel obliged to bring this unfortunate story to your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Rikki Stein"

I hope that clears things up. Rachid is in great shape!! He's almost at the end of an 11 date tour of major venues in the UK and is killing them every night (not himself!!!) Don't worry about him. Although I greatly appreciate everyone's concern. I can only assure you that he's fine.

Affectionately
Rikki

24.02.2005
"Rachid has degenerative bone disease?!" topic on Rachid Taha official site message board