"Every bit the people's music as much as punk or hip-hop, raï has been flourishing for decades, even after post-colonial Marxist governments pushed it underground. Sublime Frequencies' vinyl-only compilation celebrates some of the best raï from Algeria's darker cultural years. There are any number of reasons why certain bands and singers fall into obscurity-- it's not always due to lack of impact, importance, or even something as practical as distribution. Sometimes they disappear because they're made to disappear. In the case of raï, Algeria's vibrant hybrid of Middle Eastern and European folk, its subject matter and party vibe often made the music a target in post-colonial Algeria, with former FLN fighter and later the nation's Marxist leader Houari Boumédienne not as huge a fan of free speech as he was of suppressing it. ..."
Pitchfork
Discogs
RootsWorld (Video)
YouTube: 1970's Algerian Proto -Rai Underground (1970)
2011 February: Raï, 2012 February: An Intro To Rebel Hip-Hop Of The Arab Revolutions
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