Frogtoon Music

Ya Rayah by Rachid Taha

Artist Biography For Rachid Taha

Rachid Taha Arabic رشيد طه Sig Algeria 18 September 1958 – 12 September 2018 Was An Algerian Musician Based In France. His Music Is Influenced By Many Different Styles Such As Rock Techno And Raï. Taha Was Born In 1958 In Sig Mascara Province Algeria Although A Second Source Suggests He Was Born In The Algerian Seacoast City Of Oran. Oran Was The "birthplace Of Raï" Music And 1958 Was A Key Year In The Algerian Struggle For Independence Against French Authority. He Began Listening To Algerian Music In The 1960s Including Street-Style Music Called Chaabi. And Music From The Maghreb Region Was Part Of His Upbringing. He Moved With His Parents To France When He Was Ten Years Old Settling In An Immigrant Community Around The French City Of Lyon In 1968. His Father Was A Factory Worker. While Working In A Heating Appliance Factory In The Late 1970s Taha Founded Les Refoulés "The Rejects" A Nightclub Where He Would Spin Mashups Of Arabic Pop Classics Over Led Zeppelin Bo Diddley And Kraftwerk Backbeats. Based In Paris Where He Began His Solo Career After His Beginnings As The Leader Of The French Rock Band Carte De Séjour He Usually Sings In Arabic. In 1981 While Living In Lyon Taha Met Mohammed And Mokhtar Amini. The Three Of Them Rachid Djamel Dif And Eric Vaquer Would Later Form The Band "Carte De Séjour" Green Card And Record Their First Maxi Album "Carte De Séjour" In 1983. Their First LP Rhoromanie Came Out In 1984. Their Second And Last LP Entitled Ramsa Five Was Released In 1986 And Included Their Famous And Ironic Cover Of Douce France Originally Sung By Charles Trenet. The Band Dissolved In 1989. His Breakthrough Album As A Solo Artist Was Diwân Featuring Remakes Of Songs For The Algerian And Arab Traditions. His Album Tékitoi Produced By Steve Hillage And Released In 2004 Also Brought Him Great Acclaim And Recognition From Other Rock Musicians. In 2005 He Performed With Robert Plant Patti Smith And Brian Eno. He Covered The Clash Song "Rock The Casbah" In Arabic As "Rock El Casbah" Which Appeared In The 2007 Film About Clash Frontman Joe Strummer "The Future Is Unwritten". Some Critics Attribute Taha's Unique Sound To His Use Of The Mandolute A Mixture Of The Traditional Oud With European Fretted Instruments. The Song "Barra Barra" From His Album "Made In Medina" Was Featured In The 2001 Film "Black Hawk Down "as Well As In The Games Convention 2008 Trailer Of The Game Far Cry 2. Recently Was Featured In The 2007 Film The Hunting Party. His Song "Garab" From "Made In Medina" Was Used In The Movie "The Truth About Charlie" In 2002 And Also In "Blood And Chocolate" In 2007. Rachid Taha Died In September 2018.

Frogtoon Music - Song Info: Ya Rayah

Taha's Version Of "Ya Rayah" Is A Classic Example Of A Traditional Song Presented In A New Fashion. "Ya Rayah" Begins With A Short Taqsim Improvisation On The Banjo Instead Of The Ud That Smoothly Leads Into The Piece Proper Which Is Characterized By A Heavy Down Beat. The Song's Popularity Stems From Its Simple Groove And Summation Of The New Generation's Plight Seeking Freedom And A Better Life. Sung And Released In Paris "Ya Rayah" Capitalizes On The Ancient Algerian Concept Of Mehna In Its Embodiment Of Algerians' Struggle Loss And Yearning To Go Back Home. Here Concepts Like Traveling And Touring Take On A Gloomy Destiny That Lead To Despair And Loss. One Can Even Draw Connections Between The "touring" Star Its Migration Through The Universe And The Exiled Self Of The Algerian People. Burdened By Poverty And Their Constant Search Outside Of Algeria For A Better Life Their Spirit Is In A Constant State Of Travel Intensified By Feelings Of Exile And Departure. We Can Only Imagine How Such Lyrics Would Strike A Chord Within The Hearts Of Hundreds Of Thousands Algerian Immigrants Living Away From Home Under Conditions Of Displacement Throughout Europe. English Translation
Oh Departing Traveler Where Are You Heading?
Your Journey Is Bound To Failure
How Many Travelers Before You
Have Sought The Path With Similar Results? How Many Cities And Deserts Have I Roamed?
How Much Time Have I Wasted
Touring From One Place To Another? Oh Lost One No Matter How Much You Run Away
Your Destiny Will End In Exhaustion
Time Has Passed You By
And You Have Yet To Notice It.

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