E-mail: info@f-cat.de | Telefon: +49 (0)30 26 103 29-20 
Tickets
You can get your tickets via the local concert promoter.
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Raï, Oriental Pop Music
Khaled
| Algeria
Booking-Agent:
Frank Abraham
+49 30 261032920
fa@f-cat.de
Khaled is without any doubt the best known raï -singer in the world. Venues are always packed to capacity, when this charming man celebrates possibly the most emotive performance you have seen in your life. When he starts Didi or Aicha, he doesn’t need to sing – the audience does. His fans are the most loyal a musician can imagine – and truly love him.
Innovating, brilliant, popular in his music - curious, open minded, non-dogmatic, sexy: Khaled is a phenomenon. He has been revolutionary to Arab music and invented the raï. His significance to the modern Arab culture, in North Africa and in Europe, is enormous.
Khaled started singing as a young guy in the 70’s. At that time wahrani was a popular, under-ground music, acoustic and heavily percussive, sweetened by the accordion. The music, as befitted its lyrics, was rough and ragged. But it was changing, and Khaled was part of the vanguard that altered raï forever. He was already a star among the Algerian youth when he moved to Paris in 1985. The career he developed there since then is really exceptional in world music.
Khaled has written worldwide hits and sold millions of records (and cassettes). N’ssi N’ssi, Sahra, Kenza … 1,2,3 soleil – these albums were a huge success since the early 90’s and songs like N’ssi N’ssi, Didi and Aicha conquered the pop charts all over the world.
Khaled has toured a lot throughout Europe and lately also in the USA (where Santana went on stage to play with him) and demonstrated that he is a real magnet for the audience. His excellent band that has remained the same for many years, supports his brilliant voice with a powerful groove. Lately, as a consequence of Ya Rayi, Khaled played in theatres and classical music halls, his performances being more acoustic.
More than ever, Khaled is a herald of free spirit and of peaceful co-existence of cultures. On his newest Album “Liberté” (AZ, 09) the „King of Raï” combines traditional melodies with the sound of modern western instruments. Influences of his youth are prominent: earthy, North African grooves, soft oriental melodies and brilliant improvisations. The international music press treats ”Liberté“ as Khaled’s best Album in a long time: Khaled has thrown off the pop-blanket and gone back to his roots.
