Welcome and thank you for visiting www.filsdubled.blog.com. My name is Jamal Laoudi and I am the sole author on this blog. I write about various topics. You can say I express my views and document my thoughts. Enough said, I hope you enjoy it.
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Since an early age, I have had more resentment for authority than I had respect. Overtime, I grew to understand authority’s shortcomings including injustices it can inflict regardless of intention. Topics that have always and continue to intrigue me include popular revolts throughout history, and slavery in America.
Furthermore, I find myself glued to TV programs that discuss early American history, especially topics that relate to the declaration of independence or the adopting of the constitution in 1787. TV scenes from as far back as the 80s, such as the dismantling of the Berlin wall or the violent ousting of former Romanian president Nicolae Ceauşescu, are still vivid in my memory.
With the current Arab Spring, things are hitting much closer to home or are more personal because I was born and raised in the MENA region. My curiosities are not casual and are categorized with a heightened degree of intensity. I quickly and easily understood the pro-change movement and its motivation but I am struggling to understand the argument of the “keep the status quo” contingency. I pondered and pondered to no avail. Most of the presented arguments are tantamount to propaganda and scare tactics in my opinion. I struggled to find explanations that would pass common sense filters.
A common argument heard in discussions is that opponents of change do so to protect their personal interests since many risk losing much. My attempts at digesting and framing this argument coherently have failed. While browsing the web, I came across a YouTube video of Malcolm X that I think brilliantly breaks it down. Malcolm X was one of the most notable and influential leaders of the civil rights movement.
In this video, Malcolm X addresses some of the dynamics in the relationship between the slaves and their masters. He divides slaves into “house Negroes” and “field Negroes”. This division is based to a great degree on the relationship each category of slaves had with its master.
On the Masters, Malcolm X says in the video that when someone tries to talk to field Negroes to speak up, “They sent some ol’ house Negro along behind him to undo what he said.”
On house Negroes, Malcolm orates:
The house negro always looked out for his master…When field Negroes got too much out of line, he held them back in check…They lived better than the field Negroes…He ate the same food as master ate and wore his same clothes…He loved his master more than his master loved himself. That’s why he did not want his master hurt… If the master got sick he says: what’s the matter boss? We sick? …He never wanted his master’s property threatened and he was more defensive of it than the master was.
Describing the relationship between the field Negroes and their masters, Malcolm X continues:
Field Negroes who lived in the huts had nothing to lose; they wore the worst kind of clothes…they caught hell… They hated their master… If the master got sick, they prayed that master dies. If the master’s house caught a fire, they prayed for a strong wind to come along.
The video ends with Malcolm stating”And today, you still have field Negroes and house Negroes. I am a field Negro.”
In the context of Arab Spring, how perfect of an analogy would it be if we replaced “masters” with “the powers that be”, “house Negroes” with “cronies of the masters”, and “field Negroes” with “the people”?
MALCOLM X: THE HOUSE NEGRO AND THE FIELD NEGRO
By Jamal Laoudi
Interview
Moroccan Chaabi (Popular) Music is arguably the most popular music genre in Morocco. It is as deeply rooted in the Moroccan culture as rock ‘n Roll is in its American counterpart. It is very easy to appreciate what Chaabi music is to Moroccans once one realizes that they used it as a weapon in fighting French colonization of Morocco in the early half of the 20th century. For instances, when Mohammed V, King of Morocco at the time, was exiled to Madagascar and then Corsica, Chaabi songs demanding his return became national anthems. Legends and pioneers of this music genre include Haja AlHamdawiya, AbdelAziz Stati, and Zahra AlFassiya, a Moroccan Jewish artist. Chaabi transcended both religion and gender.
During a recent visit to the states on a tour, I had the pleasure of catching up with AbdelAziz Stati, one of the most prolific singer-song writers of the genre of all time. Stati is a nickname he earned due to his hexadactylism. Here is our conversation:
Jamal Laoudi: Thank you Mr. Stati for taking the time to entertain these questions and welcome to Washington DC:
Abdelaziz Stati: Thank you Jamal for having me and I appreciate this opportunity. This is not my first time in the states. I had been here back in 1996 when I toured many cities. It was great experience and I was happy to interact with my fans who I salute.
What is the purpose of this visit?
I am here on a tour. I had been meaning to make this trip for a while now in order to see my fans in the US, and spend some time with them.
Your career spans about three decades. Compare and contrast Chaabi music then and now:
It has evolved no doubt. I think I managed to stick around because I am able to adjust and keep up with these evolutions. Back then we had Al3ayta Almarssawiya that we used to learn and hone our craft. Today, things are different including the audience. I try to adjust to new fans. That is partly why much research goes into my work from crafting meaningful lyrics to addressing relevant topics; I think this is what has allowed me to stay afloat as an artist.
How early did you learn to play the violin?
I have been playing the violin since I was 14 and overtime, I learned to play other instruments as well. As for singing, I have been doing so for as long as I remember including in Tamazight which I am very proud of. I understand that there are no limits in the arts.
Speaking of songs, how do you choose lyrics and topics you are going to sing about?
I have always looked for meaningful topics and lyrics. My songs deal with various topics from immigration to betrayal to respect of parents. Relevance is important to me in my work. I am lucky I can compose music, write song lyrics, and sing as well but to I cannot do all these things if I want to keep up. I am lucky I work with many great lyricists and all I have to do is propose a topic and they come up with text. I am comfortable with that since I know the greatest of the artists do the same. That being said, I have the final say on what goes where and how.
When releasing an album, are you able to reliably predict what track would be more successful than the others?
I spent lots of time and effort in all my tracks and I expect them all to do well. That being said, when I release an album, the public has the final say naturally.
You have performed in countless concerts and in many countries. Is there an event that occurred during a performance that stands out? May be a funny incident or a memorable moment of some sort:
Sure, countless situations of various shades and colors. I am grateful that my fans have always supported. I and I will just leave at that.
When you are at home relaxing, what music do you like to listen to?
I listen to all kinds of styles from all over the world. I like the genre that takes me into a psychedelic trance. I am happiest when I lose myself in listening to music, playing my violin, or engaging my audience in a concert.
Speaking of a psychedelic trances, when playing the violin, you have the reputation of tilting your head down towards it. Why do you do that?
Well, when I first started out, many have told me but I denied it initially. But when I looked at a video tape of a performance, I was surprised how deep in it I get. During those moments, I don’t like for anyone to even touch me. Doing so at that moment is tantamount to waking me up violently from sleep and the likes. I am in a zone at that time. It is so intense that I would not recall much of the events the following day.
What are your projects for 2011?
I am working on album to be released very soon. I know I have not had anything new for the past six years or so but that is due to the piracy problem that plagues the Moroccan music market. We, as artists, spend lots of time and effort and even our own money only to come up empty. It is a huge problem that needs to be dealt with because it discourages many especially those with limited financial means. If piracy is addressed, I promise my fans that I will have a new album every six months.
What comes to mind when you hear:
Um Kaltoum: a phenom. She is highly respected by the who’s who in the Arabic music and beyond, rightly so.
Khaled: ya salam; I am one of his fans. He is a big star with incredible vocals. I have never heard anyone do Rai music like he does. There are other great ones of course like the late Cheb Hasni, may he rest in peace, and Cheb Mami but I cannot compare them to khaled. He is unique.
Abdelaziz Stati: a modest man who strives to learn as an artist as if he is just starting out.
Last words:
I want to thank you very much for this opportunity and for giving me a platform to engage my fans. I want to also thank Mr. Hichan El Anmari for hosting this interview among other things. Hicham is a great artist in his own right. I want to address one more thing; While in Orlando, I found out that there was a March in support of the Moroccan Sahara in Washington DC. I wish I had known that before. I would have made sure I was there, in the front row with my Moroccan flag. It is an issue dear to all of us Moroccans. I have a song called “Maghrini wa Fhal” (Moroccan to the Bone) which I performed in all my events during this tour.
Once again, many thanks Jamal.
By Jamal Laoudi
Watch Stati Perform One of his new Hits.
Moroccan music is quite diverse, a reflection of the makeup of the country’s population. Given the dialect and style barriers, only rarely do you see a track succeed in Europe or North America. Recently, I came across a video of a remix of a classical Moroccan song called “Sa3a Sa3ida” which translates roughly to “happy occasion.” Initially, I dismissed it, but for some reason, I kept humming it. A couple of weeks later, I found myself hooked. As music and movie producer Martin Meissonnier told me once “with some tracks, one needs to be patient. Some do grow on you overtime.” Tracks like this could help with taking Moroccan music internationally.
What is referred to as modern or classical Moroccan music is very successful in the Arab world. Names like Naima Samih, Samira Said, Abdelhadi Belkhiat, and Mohamed El Idrissi command respect from Morocco to Iraq. This is possible partly because the lyrics of the modern Moroccan genre of songs are written in a form much closer to modern standard Arabic which is widely understood in the Arab world.
Mohamed El Idrissi’s “Sa3a Sa3ida” a dance remix is performed by Saad Lemjarrad, an upcoming Moroccan artist whose highlights include finishing as a runner up in the 2007 Arab Super Star in Lebanon, and Sofia Mountassir, a young Parisian-based R&B singer of Moroccan origins who has sung tracks in Arabic, French and English. She is also a product of a Moroccan talent show. The combination proves very successful with a harmonious marriage of vocals. Saad and Sofia have succeeded in reviving this classic with a twist.
While describing the beats and talking about loops, layering, and basslines is beyond my area of expertise, I know I like this song so much that I am sending copies to area DJs and promoting it any chance I get. I must not be the only one who likes it because the Youtube hits on the video are nearing a million after just over two months.
There are a few websites that credit RedOne, a world class music producer of Moroccan origins who has produced hits for the likes of Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez, with having hands in the project. However, the music is the work of Loic Canevet, and the song is produced Yannick Saillet according to the official video.
This project could prove quite successful. If it manages to find airtime in mainstream radio stations in Europe and North America, then we may be up to something here. Moroccan music in particular and Arabic music in general needs to make its way into these two new frontiers where it currently has extremely limited access. Whether this track plays part in achieving that or not remains to be seen. That being said, this effort is to be applauded as early indications suggest that we have a hit before us.
By Jamal Laoudi
Sa3a Sa3ida Official video
From July 1st to the 3rd, many Moroccan expatriates who elected to partake in the referendum on the new Moroccan constitution had the opportunity to vote. This is an effort to involve them in the country’s affairs and recognize them as relevant citizens. Moroccans in the greater Washington, D.C. area had two places to cast their vote: the Moroccan embassy in Washington, D.C. and the Moroccan American Community Organization in Falls Church, VA., a few miles outside the district. I visited the latter location.
The voting station is located inside a building clear to spot from the main road. Going in via the main street entrance, you are greeted with a sign that directs you to the first floor. In reality, the polling station is on the ground level relative to that specific entrance. You may get lost but you will figure it out fairly quickly. There is more than one entrance to this building and the polling station could be on the first floor relative to a different entrance.
As soon as you enter the office, you quickly realize there will be zero tolerance for any kind of disturbance. Three imposing Moroccan security guards fully equipped with gear that includes handcuffs, badges, walkie-talkies, what looks like guns, and pepper spray, greet you. If there is no one voting, they ask you to proceed to the polling room otherwise you are offered a seat at an air-conditioned waiting area. Cold potable water is available free of charge.
Once your turn comes, you proceed to a voting room that is manned by four individuals; one a representative of the embassy and the person in charge, and three observers/poll volunteers. After you are greeted again, one of them asks for your Moroccan ID card or passport, or consulate card. They also ask if you are registered with the embassy for the purpose of speeding the process of identification. If you are not registered with the embassy, any Moroccan government-issued ID document would do. According to an observer, one person was not allowed to cast his vote because he had no form of Moroccan ID. American ID cards were not acceptable; no exceptions. It can get tense.
Once they take your information, they instruct you to take an empty envelope stamped with the Moroccan logo and two ballots; one says Yes and the other says No from stacks on the table. They then explain that you need to choose your ballot, put it in the designated envelop, and take the unused ballot with you. They show you a transparent ballot box. It is displayed in plain sight and locked with two locks, one in each side where you would drop your envelope. They also point you to a voting booth. Your privacy is guaranteed. Once you come out of voting booth, they point you to the ballot box again. All questions relevant to the process are entertained.
The process is efficient and the experience is pleasant. Turn out, ballot-counting, and results– well those are another story.
By Jamal Laoudi
Imagine United States Senator Kelly A. Ayotte of New Hampshire reporting to work at a Senate Armed Services Committee session with her barely week-old newborn baby, whom she holds by a sling tied around her shoulders. What kind of reactions would this spark? Will Chairman Carl Levy allow that? Can you imagine trying to accomplish anything under these circumstances? How about distractions?
While there appears to be no precedence of such case in the U.S., Europe provided an example. Italian European Member of Parliament Licia Ronzulli brought her newborn baby to European Parliament and conducted business while nursing her. Why did she do that? What kind of reactions did she get? The questions are endless. Here is Honorable Licia Ronzulli answering such questions:
Jamal Laoudi: Honorable Ronzulli, thank you for accepting my request for an interview. I wish to start by asking, how is your daughter Vittoria doing and how old is she now?
Licia Ronzulli: Thanks for your invitation! Vittoria is very well and now she is already 7 months old.
How did the idea of bringing your child to work come about and why not hire a babysitter?
Unfortunately, in the European Parliament there is no maternity leave for members. This means that every absent member during European Parliament official sessions, even for maternity reasons, will not receive allowance for being present in a session, and will not be able to justify their absence for the purpose of voting statistics as well!
I am very informal as a mother: when Vittoria was just a newborn and she could not stay without me as I nursed her, I had some very important votes during Strasbourg´s Plenary Session, in which every absence could have been crucial. So I packed my bags and flew to Strasbourg with her. Anyway, in my daily life I am not alone in taking care of Vittoria. There’s also my recently retired mom, who helps me with her.
The photos of you with your daughter in the European Parliament attracted much attention- Why do you think that is?
Maybe a lot of people were astonished just because we are not used to seeing things like that. I do not see anything strange in it: it’s always wonderful to see a mother and her daughter together, either in the Parliament or during a walk in a park.
What was the reaction of your male colleagues initially and have they changed towards you since?
They all were kind and gentle; I received a hearty welcome regardless of their political orientation. No, nobody changed their approach towards me.
How about your female colleagues?
They were very kind too; on several occasions they expressed their solidarity with me.
You have continued to take your child with you to work. Is that decision deliberately chosen or is it imposed by necessity?
Bringing Vittoria with me gives me self-confidence and calm, and I think it is exactly the same for her. Besides this, the Parliament agenda is very crowded, and my daughter is too young to remain without her mother for long time.
You have been working towards attracting attention to women’s rights in the workplace for quite a while but none of those efforts were as successful as your bringing your child to work. Why do you think that is?
Unfortunately it’s like that. We work very often for months on important dossiers regarding the real interests of citizens, but we are completely ignored by the mass media. I think the shock caused by my act – I received messages from all over the world! – is due to the fact that it has become a symbol, an icon for all the mothers who try to conciliate their professional life with the choice of becoming mothers.
How are you planning to take advantage of this attention in order to advance your causes?
I will keep on supporting the rights of women, and who decide to become mothers without leaving their work place, especially now that the European Council ruled against the European Parliament proposal on the maternity leave.
European women have come a long way since the past few decades. You now have the Swiss cabinet with a female majority though only 4 decades after winning right to vote. That being said, there is still plenty of room for improvement. What are some of the main demands of European women today in your opinion?
The Swiss example comes after the Norwegian, Swedish or Danish ones, who have been front-runners for years regarding female presence in Parliament. The key to obtain equal opportunities at work is to be able not to penalize women in their careers, only because they follow the natural choice to become mothers.
In many countries, women’s rights are in a pitiful state. That being said, some countries are beginning to take steps to improve the situation of women. Let me take the example of Morocco that appears to have started the process of enacting laws favoring women’s rights. What do you think about the EU role in encouraging countries like Morocco to continue on this path and entice others to follow suit? In general, how do you want to develop the issues about women’s rights outside the European borders?
The EU cannot oblige the developing countries to respect the fundamental rights of women, but this does not mean that we did not do anything about it. Its diplomatic activity is continuous and pressing, especially towards those countries which do not respect women’s fundamental rights. Also thanks to MEP’s denouncements. For the time being, the death sentence for Sakineh, the Iranian woman accused of adultery, has been suspended.
Besides this, in December I went to the Democratic Republic of Congo as vice-president of ACP-UE Joint Parliamentary Assembly of Africa – Caribbean – Pacific and EU. During the official sessions, attended by the President Kabila, my dossier about the Millennium Development Goals WAS approved.
In particular, I focus attention on the situation of women and children, who are the two components of society that most suffer from situations of poverty and misery and for whom we need to increase our aid.
Thanks again for taking the time to entertain these questions. Any last words?
Thank you for your attention. I hope to come to your country as soon as possible and to have the opportunity to meet you personally in order to talk with you about the current maternity leave situation in the United States.
By Jamal Laoudi (c) 2000-2011
Interview
On March 30, 2009, Khaled, aka King of Raï and formerly Cheb Khaled, will release a new album entitled “Liberté” which reunites him with French producer Martin Meissonnier. In 1988, Meissonnier and the legendary music producer Safi Boutella coproduced Khaled’s first international album “Kutchè.” With “Kutchè”, Khaled’s international career was launched. Meissonnier is a force to be reckoned with in the World Music scene. He is also credited with having discovered the King of Raï. I caught up with Martin Meissonnier and interviewed him in order to shed some light on his work with Khaled in general and on “Liberté” in particular. It was also an opportunity to explore Meissonnier’s extensive involvement in World Music among other things.
Jamal Laoudi (JL): First of all, allow me to thank you for agreeing to do this interview. With that said, let us get right down to it. Your repertoire is quite diverse and impressive. You are a musician, a journalist, an author, a TV and music producer, a promoter among other things. You have also achieved much success in these areas judging by the various prestigious awards you have won. It is lots of work so my first question is: What drives you to go this hard and fast, and what is the secret to excelling in all these divers areas?
Martin Meissonnier (MM):Thanks a lot for your interest. Since I get bored quite easily, I try to involve myself in undertakings that are really interesting to me personally. I don’t know how to do anything else. Whether it is history, music, or environment, I like to produce projects that mean something to me and that, I hope, can have maximum positive impact so that I can look back 30 years from now with no shame. Some projects take years of preparation, but I don’t see that as work but rather as something fun and interesting.
JL: You are known for your work in World Music and for scouting the world over for talented artists with no claim to international fame, essentially diamonds in the rough. You then work with these artists you discover to launch their international careers. How did that idea come about and why do you think that is important? Can you also cite some notable names?
MM:I guess that I am a fan! There are always artists I love and when I feel I can be helpful and useful. I propose something I feel they need to enhance their careers. I come forward and offer my services. It was more obvious in the 1970s when nobody paid attention to different music styles. It was the golden age of African music! Great music was bubbling everywhere.I am glad labels like Soundways brought out what we heard in
Africa during that time. Most artists I have worked with had huge careers in their home countries before I met them.
Fela Kuti, for instance, was already a huge superstar in Africa before I got him his first international Arista recording contract for the production of the “Black President” album.
King Sunny Ade, as another example, had done 50 albums and has always been more successful in Nigeria than outside. But together, we succeeded in producing “Juju Music” and “Synchro System”, two albums that really opened the USA to African music since we went top 50 in the pop charts with pure African music. So did Khaled in the cassette market.
There are artists that I love but I would not offer to work with them because I don’t see what I can bring to improve their product. For instance, I have always been a huge fan of Nusrath Fateh Ali Khan. I have always thought his live performances and music are perfect.Instead of working with him on his music, I got very lucky and did a little documentary on him as a mean of collaboration. When Tunisian songstress Amina came up to the Eurovision song contest with a meaningful song in the middle of the Gulf War, it caused a stir in Europe where many people had been driven to support the war! I thought we had achieved something important.
Sharing the music of these great artists is a great pleasure.It is also important because these efforts help bring people across the world together by promoting understanding through bridging cultural gaps. I cannot think of a more important thing the world needs more of today. I have noticed the positive results of such efforts in Europe where I live among other places.There are many benefits from such movements.
For instance, this allows a young Australian to become a fan of Tuareg music and an African artist to take a cause to international stage, such as the case for Youssou Ndour who pleaded for Africa at Davos.You also see hundreds of great festivals of what is referred to as “World Music” in all corners of the planet.Let us not forget that the music industry has become an important source of income in countries like Mali and Senegal. Benefitting from Globalization is now a two-way street! Good news, no?
To address the last part of your question, I was lucky to have worked with many artists at various degrees such as Don Cherry, Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Manu Dibango, Salif Keita, Papa Wemba, Ray Lema, Amina, Robert Plant & Jimmy Page, Alan Stivell, Yasuaki Shimizu, and Wazis Diop. I am currently working with the young talented Seun Kuti and the Nepalese flute player Sunil Dev Shrestra. I also have the great pleasure of writing my own music in soundtracks.
JL: What advice do you have for young talent waiting to be discovered?
MM:Never trust money! Find your own voice and follow your soul! Always keep your ego below the music!
JL: One of your most recent projects is your involvement with Khaled in his upcoming album “Liberté”. Can you shed some light on the capacity of your involvement?
MM: Khaled and I go way back. I produced his first album with Safy Boutella in 1988. I have always wanted to work with him again and do an album that would be more original “Raï” and would interest an international audience.
Almost 100% of Raï albums have been done on computers and I always thought that Khaled shines in live performances more than he does in his recorded albums.It was a great opportunity when he called me this past summer to work with him on his upcoming album.I suggested to him do a “Live” recording as bands did in the 70s instead of a ‘computer- sequenced’ recording as is the norm. I helped him choose old and new songs amongst his huge repertoire for the new album! We worked with his great band, rehearsed the songs, and recorded the album in about four or five days.
I want to point out that some of Khaled’s musicians have been with the band for more than 20 years most notably the violinist Kouider who was featured in the albums Khaled made when he was as young as 14 years old!I then went to Cairo where we recorded strings overdubs.Mixing the album and adding the little overdubs in my studio took quite some time since there were 100s of string-percussion tracks to choose from.My job was to bring Khaled’s voice out and put it up there where it belongs.
JL: Raï as a music genre has many heroes, some unsung, such as yourself. You organized the first Raï festival outside of Algeria back in 1986 in France, discovered Khaled who is considered the King of Raï, and launched his international career. Could you say a little bit about how you came across the name Khaled and why you picked him?
MM: In 1984, I heard a cassette of Khaled an Algerian friend was playing. It was a Rachid&Fethi production. I was blown away by the incredible voice and the music. Khaled was a superstar and a legend already at 20 years old in his country! Then I heard the Algerian new Raï artists such as, Raïna Raï, Sahraoui, Fadela, Houari Benchenet, among others! I knew it was huge and that Khaled was the greatest! So I asked people in MC 93 Bobigny if we could do a Raï festival and they agreed.
I then went to Algeria to meet Khaled who was playing mostly in weddings and cabarets at the time.Raï music was banned back then from playing in Algerian radio though an Algerian Colonel named Snoussi was trying to bring Raï out of the ghetto to mainstream by organizing the first Raï festival ever in Algeria in 1985!
Hearing Khaled sing in weddings is one of the best souvenirs of my musical career. I was amazed! He and Jimi Hendrix had the same impact on me when I heard them for the first time. He was freely playing and singing Raï for hours and the audience was in a trance! I believe we can still recreate that atmosphere through an album.
Going back to the festival in Bobigny, we never expected the success we achieved.When Khaled and the others came to Bobigny, a Paris’s suburb, we had 2000 people inside and the same number outside trying to get in! It was the first time these artists played on an international stage. TV coverage was present. It was historical!His international career took off immediately after that!
JL: You have worked with Khaled and Safi Boutella in late 80s on Khaled’ album “Kutche”, in 2001 on the “Bigmen – Raï Meets Reggae” project, and now on his new album. Did I miss any other occasion? How has working with Khaled change overtime?
MM:No change. We always work nice and fast! Khaled always comes with great ideas at first take! He is a rhythm master! It is always an incredible experience and pleasure working with him in the studio; I try to pick his brain and extract ideas to then turn them into good sound.
We also recorded a beautiful benefit song for the people of Bab El Oued in a trio with Cheb Mami and Assia, but Cheb Mami refused that the song be released because he wanted his voice to be more present in the song.It will remain unreleased. A pity as it is a great song!
JL: Have you been following the evolvement of Raï music and also Khaled? If so how do you think they have progressed or changed overtime? Compare and contrast Khaled and Raï then and now.
MM:Raï music started with great songwriters who rarely got credit for the hymn they transmitted.I can cite Rimitti, Blaoui (Houari), Kamel Hamadi, Bouteiba, Djenia among many others.What happened is that the new generation of pop Raï singers was pushed by their record labels, whose concern is profit, to release albums in great numbers.They started writing their own lyrics and consequently the quality suffered. This is why Khaled is still using lyrics from the original era such as that written by the great Mr. Blaoui Houari for instance.
JL: Some hardcore Raï fans say that as Raï as a genre goes international, it loses some of its core or “soul.” Do you think this is a fair assessment? How do you think internationalization of this genre and the mixing and blending of various music styles modify Raï music?
MM: I don’t think that internationalization is the cause of Raï losing its soul. Listen to Bob Marley or Nusrath Fateh Ali Khan, they never lost anything; quite the opposite! The loss of soul is more due to the pressure of major record companies in the 90s who really wanted this music to go into the pop charts and incur huge sales very quickly. They often pushed the artists to follow the flavor of the month. They did not succeed most of the time! If people love these different music genres, it is especially because they sound different from the sounds of the pop charts!
Meanwhile some artists have succeeded in blending of music styles. Listen to our experiment “Bigmen: Raï meets Reggae.” I think that in 3 or 4 of the songs, the two styles have blended harmoniously and beautifully.
Simply put, I would say is that when profit takes precedence over staying true to a music genre, the latter loses parts of its soul! The audience feels that immediately! When an artist stays true to a music genre and preserves its soul, he/she will not go wrong.
JL: The products that come out when you collaborate with Khaled are top notch. The songs “Cheba”, “La Camel”, and “Kutche” are still hits and still played in various venues today. Why haven’t you and Khaled collaborated more often in the past?
MM: Khaled always did what he loved to do: Experiment! I know he was very happy to collaborate with Don Was and other famous artists. I think he enjoys himself very much in the process and opens the door of Raï to countries that would have never heard of it. Why complain? I am just glad to see that people are still listening to the tracks we have recorded more than 20 years ago!
JL: Do we expect that you will work together more frequently in the future?
MM:I sure hope so! There are lots of avenues I would love to explore and develop with Khaled! So inch Allah!
JL: Khaled has been criticized in some circles for straying too far from Raï music in recent years. Do you think that is a fair assessment? What shall we expect in this new album?
MM:You can definitely expect to hear Khaled’s voice at its best! I asked him to sing us at least five long intros like he used to do in the old cassettes in the 80s. He is also singing Gnawa music with a Guimbri player! No funky rhythm!
JL: When will Khaled’s new album “Liberté” be released?
MM: March 30th in France. I don’t know for the rest of the world. Check with Universal Records please!
JL: It is expected that Khaled will Tour North America sometime this year and we hope to see you come along. Do you know if the US version of the album will be any different from the initial release?
MM:I have no idea and have nothing to say in this regard!I don’t tour with Khaled. My work on this project has been complete since September 08.
JL: Thank you for entertaining these questions. Much appreciated and I wish you continuous success. Last words go to you:
MM: Thanks a lot Jamal. I hope you will enjoy the new album and I am looking forward to your comments!
Jamal Laoudi ©
Photo by Lucy Yeung
