Rai is the music of a youth hungover from Algeria's recent independence. It became a space for a liberated, transgressive dialogue that told the social truths of its time -- an up-front yet poetic voice that covers the taboos and frustrations of daily life, expressing emotion without detour. This voice is heard at weddings, cabarets, in the nightclubs of the Oranese coast, and casually on the street... With the boom of the audio cassette, an avalanche of rai tapes were produced in Oran and diffused all over the world. Both women and men sang and listened to the new sound, as rai is intimately tied to parties, alcohol and the night. With the spontaneous improvisation of its singers as the main part of each song, rai keeps reinventing itself. In this style, Cheb Hasni, along with Cheb Nasro, incarnates a second generation of musicians. With the "love rai", or sentimental rai, Hasni sings about love, passion and its setbacks -- moving away 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 rai singers of his generation. Almost thirty years after his death, this three-volume compilation of rare tracks from his cassette releases on the Outre National label is a tribute to the lasting legacy of Cheb Hasni -- ya rai!
Tracks:
1. Cheb Hasni feat Cheba Zahia - Ida Cheftek Mahouchi Gardi 06:01
2. Cheb Hasni feat Cheba Zahia - Hakmet Aliya 05:48
3. Chefta Tetbessem 05:57
4. Ana Elabbi 05:45
5. Ila Bkiti Nebki Maak 05:52
6. Omri Omri 05:42
