Rachid Taha was born in 1958 in Oran, Algeria, but moved to France with his parents when he was fourteen. There, the young migrant was captivated by the energy of punk. In the early eighties he set up the group Carte De Séjour (Residence permit) with which he romped with a mix of rock and Arabic music. After the break-up of Carte De Séjour, Taha continued solo and with the help of the English
… producer Steve Hillage his reputation grew steadily. Taha became known for his striking covers of Louis Trenet (La Douce France) and The Clash (Rock The Casbah), but also proved to be able to write excellent compositions himself. On his two Diwan albums, Taha explored the musical heritage of his native country.more
