Volume 3

Description

Raï is the music of a youth that experienced a hangover after Algeria's recent independence. It became a space for liberated, transgressive dialogue, articulating the social truths of its time. A direct and poetic voice that uncovers the taboos and frustrations of daily life, expressing emotion without detour. This voice is heard at weddings, in cabarets, in nightclubs along the Oranese coast, in the street... With the boom of the audio cassette, an avalanche of raï cassettes was produced in Oran and distributed worldwide. In this style, Cheb Hasni, alongside Cheb Nasro, embodies a second generation of musicians. With "love raï," or sentimental raï, Hasni sings of love, passion, and its disappointments, far from the bittersweet daily chronicles of the first chebs and chebates. Having recorded nearly 150 cassettes, Cheb Hasni remains one of the most prolific and talented raï singers of his generation. Nearly thirty years after his death, this three-volume compilation of rare tracks taken from his cassettes recorded under the Oriental Music Production label is a tribute to Cheb Hasni's enduring legacy – ya raï! The three volumes are presented here.