Abderrahmane Abdelli (born April 2, 1958) is a Berber author, composer, and singer songwriter known for mixing the traditional North African music of his homeland with modern sounds.
Biography
Abdelli was born in Mechta Behalil, a hamlet in the Great Kabylie, Algeria, during the Algerian War of Independence. His family was displaced by the bombing of their village, Kennour, part of the Tizi Ouzou Province, by the French airforce. After the war, Abdelli’s family settled in the coastal town of Dellys. As a boy, Abdelli constructed his first guitar out of an empty oil can, a plank of wood and fishing line. After learning to play the guitar, Abdelli was introduced to the mandol by Chaabi master, Chaïd Moh-Esguir.
Abdelli made his musical debut in Dellys, Kabylie, during the 1974 Algerian Independence festival. He won several contests in Algeria for amateur singers. Abdelli produced his first album in 1984, but it saw little success. Two years later, he released an album that sold 12,000 copies, but never received payment from his record company Abdelli produced a couple of albums in Algeria, but moved to Belgium in 1984. It was there “he met producer Thierry Van Roy, who was so fascinated with Abdelli’s music that he spent two years exploring the roots of the Berbers’ musical tradition at the University of Algiers. Since 1986 he has made his home in Brussels, Belgium.
Abdelli’s most popular albums are New Moon and Among Brothers He has performed at major festivals in Europe, including WOMAD and the 0110 concert in Ghent. In addition to Europe he has toured in England, the US and Canada.
Influences
Abdelli’s music reflects a heavy Algerian influence. As stated by World Music Central:
Abdelli’s lyrics express strong and poetic images of his culture which is threatened from all sides. He expresses himself essentially by symbols which are parts of his traditional culture. He tries to make known the ancient Berber culture which, by its tolerance and openness, is an example to follow in our troubled world.
Abdelli has collaborated with musicians from Europe and South America, often incorporating instruments such as the cajón (Peru), the tormento, the quena (Chilean), and the bandura (Ukrainian).
After two years of intentional absence from the international stages the Algerian musician Abdelli returns in the limelight with his new album Destiny, telling us about the pain and the sorrow of life in exile.
The album
It all began when Abdelli was invited to the World Performing Arts Festival in Lahore (Pakistan). The meetings with other fascinating and talented musicians were a source of inspiration to him and during the closing concert, accompanied by his violinist and two
Pakistani musicians, he decided spontaneously to record an album in Lahore, inspired by the perfumes of the Punjabi capital and the warmth of the people there. At a later stage he recorded more tracks, for instance in Montreal during his North American tour and in Brussels.
The theme of this cd is life in exile. Leaving one’s country, parents and friends behind is very painful, but the pain and the sorrow can also lead to creativity. Abdelli has invited many friends, most of them in exile themselves for many years, making the cd Destiny to a very special project.
Abdelli is known for his own, very original sound, which is a mix of modern influences and his Berber (Kabyl) traditions. The culture of the Kabyles (a berber ethnic group) is open and tolerant. This openness can be found in Abdelli’s approach, as he likes to work with musicians from all over the world. They hail from Belgium, Pakistan, Armenia, Brasil, Morocco and Mexico. The result is a harmonious, where each instrument has its place. The sound remains transparent, but has unexpected colours and surprising atmospheres.
The artist
Composer, singer and musician Abderrahmane Abdelli is born in Algeria and belongs to the Berbers or Kabyles. He is born during Algeria’s independence war and his parents fled their native village into a forced exile, caused by French bombs.
He built his first guitar with his own hands. After he could play this instrument, he was introduced to the mandolin by chaabi master Chaïd Moh-Esguir.
During the eighties Abdelli recorded three albums, but his breakthrough came in 1995 when he recorded the album ‘New Moon’ for Real World. Performances at (among others) WOMAD and international tours followed. He performed with Yehudi Menuhin, Ravi Shankar, Natacha Atlas and Loreena McKennitt. With Peter Gabriel he sang the duet ‘In your Eyes’ (2002)
In 2001 he composed the soundtrack for the film ‘Au delà de Gibraltar’, about the fate of Moroccan immigrants in Belgium. In 2003 ‘Among Brothers’, his second album for Real World, was released and very well received by the international press. Thanks to this cd Abdelli was invited to well-known festivals all over the world, as well as many tours. His trip to Pakistan was the direct inspiration for this new album Destiny.
Abdelli plays mandola, guitar and mandoline.
