WOMAD

Khaled

From Algeria

The man, the voice, the king…

In music, many performers have been anointed with as royalty. There are an awful lot of kings and queens and princes and princesses around, many of whom have dubious claims to such high rank. However, in the kingdom of Algerian rai, there is one absolute ruler: Khaled. He's been the king of rai for decades now, a monarch never under real threat from any genuine pretenders to the throne. That looks like being the state of affairs for many years to come, such is his formidable body of recorded work and his reputation for effortlessly scintillating live performances. It's all about that voice - those rich, honeyed tones that gain serious altitude in a split-second. Actually, it's not all about the voice. It's also about his insistence to make music that appeals across an ever-shifting planet, to introduce rai to funk, to hip-hop, to bhangra, to whatever. The king doesn't stand still for long.

(Biography written by Nige Tassell 2012)

Khaled - Aicha Cheb