It kicks off in style: over a kind of disco beat, the title track snakes along with psychedelic, rock-tinged Arabesque guitar lines and hypnotic vocals. On the second track, »Avehri«, Les Abranis flirt with reggae, while »Akoudar« is driven by a cheeky funk bassline. Rock, along with influences from traditional Berber music, weave through this fascinating album.
Album No 1, recorded and released in exile in 1983, was by no means the band’s first but in fact their fourth album. Formed in the late 1960s, Les Abranis found enthusiastic audiences not only in France but also in Algeria. However, the Amazigh – as the Berber people call themselves – faced repeated repression in their Algerian homeland, and so Shamy El Vaz and Karim Abdénour met in exile in Paris, where they formed Les Abranis. Drawing from many sources, their music always retained a core rooted in their shared heritage, while their lyrics reflected the precarious history of Algeria. Album No 1 is not just exhilarating music; it is also a compelling insight into a chapter of European and Algerian history.
Album No 1
