Maghreb K7 Club: Synth Raï, Chaoui & Staifi (1985-1997)

This compilation is a microcosm of Lyon's Maghreb music scene between 1985-1997. Most of the scene in the said city came from East Algerian men who immigrated to France during the 1950s and brought their music styles of synth rai, chaoui and staifi along with them. They would play in cafés across Lyon and record lo-fi sessions onto cassettes. For the first time, these have been re-released onto vinyl and CD formats, capturing the spit-and-sawdust feel of the scene from three decades ago.

As for the music, although there's a fair bit of dialogue and introductions by the singers themselves speaking in Algerian Arabic and French, there's a mix of traditional rai instrumentation, alongside a drum machine, whistle effects and synth, as demonstrated in ‘Zine Ezzinet’ by Nordine Staifi. ‘Hata Fi Annaba’ by Salah El Annabi pays homage to Jean-Michel Jarre's Oxygène by playing his infamous riff. ‘Mani Mani Maane’ by Chabati Le Jeune is a minimal keyboard and hand drum beat, but it's quite danceable at the same time. In all, it's a decent enough compilation to peer into Lyon's music scene over the course of 12 years.