ABDELLI
Destiny

MWCD 3043

8712618304327
Music & Words
Algeria

 

After two years of intentional absence from the international stages the Algerian musician Abdelli returns in the limelight with his new album Destiny, telling us about the pain and the sorrow of life in exile.

The album
It all began when Abdelli was invited to the World Performing Arts Festival in Lahore (Pakistan). The meetings with other fascinating and talented musicians were a source of inspiration to him and during the closing concert, accompanied by his violinist and two
Pakistani musicians, he decided spontaneously to record an album in Lahore, inspired by the perfumes of the Punjabi capital and the warmth of the people there. At a later stage he recorded more tracks, for instance in Montreal during his North American tour and in Brussels.
The theme of this cd is life in exile. Leaving one's country, parents and friends behind is very painful, but the pain and the sorrow can also lead to creativity. Abdelli has invited many friends, most of them in exile themselves for many years, making the cd Destiny to a very special project.
Abdelli is known for his own, very original sound, which is a mix of modern influences and his Berber (Kabyl) traditions. The culture of the Kabyles (a berber ethnic group) is open and tolerant. This openness can be found in Abdelli's approach, as he likes to work with musicians from all over the world. They hail from Belgium, Pakistan, Armenia, Brasil, Morocco and Mexico. The result is a harmonious, where each instrument has its place. The sound remains transparent, but has unexpected colours and surprising atmospheres.

The artist
Composer, singer and musician Abderrahmane Abdelli is born in Algeria and belongs to the Berbers or Kabyles. He is born during Algeria's independence war and his parents fled their native village into a forced exile, caused by French bombs.
He built his first guitar with his own hands. After he could play this instrument, he was introduced to the mandolin by chaabi master Chaïd Moh-Esguir.
During the eighties Abdelli recorded three albums, but his breakthrough came in 1995 when he recorded the album 'New Moon' for Real World. Performances at (among others) WOMAD and international tours followed. He performed with Yehudi Menuhin, Ravi Shankar, Natacha Atlas and Loreena McKennitt. With Peter Gabriel he sang the duet 'In your Eyes' (2002)
In 2001 he composed the soundtrack for the film 'Au delà de Gibraltar', about the fate of Moroccan immigrants in Belgium. In 2003 'Among Brothers', his second album for Real World, was released and very well received by the international press. Thanks to this cd Abdelli was invited to well-known festivals all over the world, as well as many tours. His trip to Pakistan was the direct inspiration for this new album Destiny.
Abdelli plays mandola, guitar and mandoline.