Orchestre National De Barbès

Orchestre National De Barbès

Orchestre National De Barbès is a Paris-based group formed in 1995. The name refers to Barbès, the Paris neighbourhood that gives the band its identity: a place associated with North and West African communities, raï, shaabi, Gnawa, reggae, funk and other music heard in cafés, bars and homes in the area. The group draws on Arabic, Maghreb and world music traditions, with a sound shaped by encounters between different diaspora musics in Paris.

Origins

The project grows out of North African musical life in Paris and the wider Algerian and Moroccan background of several of its musicians. One key figure is Youcef Boukella, whose musical outlook is formed in Belcourt, a working-class district of Algiers. He grows up hearing rock, bossa nova, Cairo film music, Kabyl folk, street performances, shaabi, reggae, funk and raï. After moving to Paris, he works with Cheb Mami, Takfarinas and Safy Boutella, and also records with Larbi Dida. These experiences feed into the band’s approach.

Larbi Dida is a former vocalist of Raïna Raï, the Algerian rock-raï group known for combining raï with electric rock sounds. He moves to Paris in 1989 and becomes one of the band’s important voices. Another central contributor is Aziz Sehmaoui, who is raised in Marrakesh and brings Gnawa, Arab-African rhythms and a strong vocal style informed by Sufi practice and collaborations with traditional and electric groups such as Association Ziriab and Lemchaheb.

Members and line-up

Named members associated with the group include Mehdi Askeur and Olivier Louvel. The broader band list in the available information also includes Fateh Benlala, Ahmed Benshidhum, Yusef Bukella, Alain Debiossat, Jean-Baptiste Ferre, Fathellah Ghoggal, Taufik Mimuni, Michel Petry, Asís Sahmaui and Kamel Tenfiche.

Recordings

The group’s discography includes En Concert on Virgin in 1997, Poulina on Virgin in 1999, Alik on Wagram in 2008, and Rendez-Vous Barbes on Le Chant du Monde in 2010.

Musical identity

Orchestre National De Barbès presents itself as a musical meeting point between Algeria, Morocco and the Paris neighbourhood that shapes its name. Its work reflects raï, Maghreb sounds, Arabic song, Gnawa and other popular forms heard across North African diaspora communities in France.