Akli D

Akli D is a Berber performer and songwriter born in rural Algeria, an artist whose unique style combines North African Chaâbi music and the folk traditions of the country’s Kabylie region mixed with everything from the American protest song to the Mississippi blues and even echoes of m’balax, Senegal’s modern pop music.

These rich ingredients have been cooked to perfection on ‘Ma Yela’ (‘If There Was’), his new album, on Because Music, produced by the legendary Manu Chao whose own 1998 album ‘Clandestino’ was a landmark in global Latin fusion. Chao, of course, was also responsible for Amadou & Mariam’s worldwide hit, ‘Dimanche à Bamako’ in 2005.

He became a street musician, playing in public squares and in the Parisian Metro. Little by little, he tried out many different musical genres - blues, rock, reggae, folk - all of which later influenced his compositions.

He was mesmerised by Akli D, an artist who read Kabyl poetry over folk, gypsy-jazz and Chaâbi music.  This initial meeting led to Chao’s offer to produce Akli D’s second album resulting, of course, in ‘Ma Yela’.

While Akli D’s first album emphasised his cultural roots and identity, ‘Ma Yela’ embraces a wider musical spectrum and lyrical concerns. The songs are a radical call to action, speaking of everything from aid to Chechen orphans and the fight for registration of illegal immigrants to the battle of Algerian women against the family code, a commitment that so distinguishes this extraordinary talent and his unique new Algerian music.