Geography and history have left North Africa with an impressively mixed up musical culture. It's way too much of an oversimplification to say that Algerian music, for example, is a straightforward mix of traditional Arabic and southwestern European styles. It also includes elements of salsa and reggae, Jewish folkloric music, American rock 'n' roll, Euro club fare, and more.

The undisputed giant of North African music is the ever-sunny Khaled, whose French-Algerian roots tangle freely with global sounds, and whose music has become the very definition of raï. His name may be bigger than that of Rachid Taha, who's oriented toward edgier, rockier sounds. But the two shared a stage with a third star, Faudel, in the massively popular 1, 2, 3 Soleils (a 1998 concert, then CD and DVD), which reached legions of fans and cemented these two veterans, plus the youthful Faudel, as the modern-day pillars of French-Algerian pop.

Reviewed below are two recordings from Taha and Khaled which are both vastly superior to the aforementioned Soleils, which suffered from homogenized production—plus a broader sampler of North African grooves.

Rachid Taha
Tékitoi
Wrasse
2005

Ask Rachid Taha whether he considers his music raï, and you'll get a quick answer. No. He's a rocker. And despite the fact that he has shared the stage with Khaled and Faudel, his music differs from theirs in several fundamental ways. Taha's outgoing rebellion is much darker, rawer, and more visceral. His lyrics, in Arabic, French, and Spanish, question politicians and hypocrites, ponder meanings of love lost and found, and level the difficult lessons of the past with the potential of the future. His music, more irregular and blocky, prominently displays a punkish “I'll do what I want” energy.

But damn, this guy knows how to work a groove. The opening title track (a duet with Christian Olivier which translates roughly to “Who the hell are you?”) blasts off with a shuffling guitar-driven riff, trading back and forth with rhythmic, rap-like vocals, and eventually building into a ripe frenzy. If these three minutes of testosteronized bump-and-grind don't get you at least thinking about bodily motion, maybe it's time to adjust the volume knob.

The distorted, dark-edged “H'asbu-hum” (”Ask them for an explanation”) takes no prisoners—Taha's voice is raw and desperate, and he's surrounded by an army of pounding drummers—but it's still pretty catchy in its own twisted way. More gentle and romantic sounds follow with the seeking “Winta”; pure drama and techno bounce with ”Nah'seb”; and an echoing club remix vibe with “Voila Voila” (in Spanish).

Taha's Arabic take on “Rock el Casbah” will no doubt twist the ears of those already familiar with the Clash's version, and it stands roughly equal in stature to the original, which is no small thing. Tékitoi also includes a bonus DVD with a 45-minute film, ¿Kienes?, that features tour/interview/concert footage from Mexico. It's interesting enough to spin once, but you'll want to get back to the music in pure form.