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Akli d. sings "Malik" , a reggae song about Malik Oussekine
"Le rock dans tous ses états" - Evreux (Fr) Summer 2006

Akli D's clip in kabyl version: "C. FACILE" (it's easy)
drawings by WOZNIAK directed by MANU CHAO

in backstage with Akli, singing c. facile

AKLI D.        « MA YELA »

 BIOGRAPHY

For as long as he can remember, Akli D. was surrounded by music in the little village in Kabylie, Algeria, where he was born. His mother, a traditional folk singer, used to sing him to sleep, and the rest of his family is very musical. He played in his first concert at the age of 13, in the school show of his native village in Kabylie. From then on, he decided that his guitar would become his passport, allowing him to travel the world meeting people, like a modern troubadour.

He listened to popular Kabylian singers, like Idir, Cheikh El Hasnaoui and Slimane Azem, but lent an attentive ear to Neil Young's and Bob Dylan's protest songs, to Jacques Higelin's wacky rock, to the Rasta movement, to the Mississipi Blues and to the echoes of the m'balax.  

He arrived in France in the early 80's, fleeing a bitter Algeria , which was repressing Kabylie's demands for recognition. The « Berber Spring », marked by the army's repression, resulted in tens of deaths and hundreds of political prisoners.

Akli was an involved witness in these events and had to go into exile. He arrived in Paris on a fine summer day, with little money in his pockets and the addresses of a few other Algerians.

He had few illusions and was aware of the difficulties that laid before him, and he decided that spending time with interesting people would broaden his horizons. Walking around Beaubourg in Paris one day, he borrowed a street musician's banjo and tried his hand at playing that for a while. So started a long period of playing on public squares and in the Parisian metro. Little by little, he tried out many different musical genres: blues, rock, reggae, folk… all of which later influenced his compositions.

Every penny saved went towards building his dream: cinema ! His passion for films led him to take an Actor's Studio course at the Café de la Danse in Paris, when « mektoub » (destiny) put an American patron into his path, and he went to America. He ended up in San Francisco, the city of creative audacity, and surprised audiences at the Cafe Internationale and other clubs with melodies previously unknown in the US. He then went on to Ireland, which turned out to be just as fascinating as his American experience but more familiar musically.

Back in Paris with his head full of artistic treasures, he accompanied two charming female singers in a chaâbi-saharian blues combo called « El Djazira », then went on to form his first group, called « Les Rebeuhs des Bois ». This enabled him to play in several underground places in Paris and elsewhere. He played in cafes and clubs of various styles, like « La Guinguette Pirate », the café « La Liberté » and the « Le Lou Pascalou », in neighbourhoods where as much  styles and blends as beer were brewed.

These different experiences brought on his first album: « Anef-as Trankil », produced live. The low-fi aspect is compensated by very personal compositions reflecting his background:  Chicago delta. The record has been critically acclaimed for its originality and is enjoyed by audiences in both France and the Kabyle community. It is Important to note that this was a major step for the Kabyles, who were getting bored by the usual uniform music (often repetitive pieces with derbouka and mandol).

“The tradition of the Kabylian poet”

Akli D has chosen to set up his haven in Paris, in a typical Menilmontant café, one of the last “apache” strongholds of the capital.  This café is one of the rare places in which spontaneous encounters happen, where people pick up guitars, bendirs and derboukas and jam all night long. Akli D finds the atmosphere typical of the gnawas of Central Africa, a Berber people like the Kabyles.

When being in Paris, Manu Chao was also part of this scene. He soon picked out this artist who read his Kabyle poetry over folk, gypsy-jazz and Chaâbi music.  Their meeting turned into an artistic collaboration when Manu came to the recording of the new album. He was immediately entranced and offered to produce Akli D's album. Manu Chao discovered Akli D and saw his potential. This close friendship, founded on music, helped them produce a more elaborate and studied album than the first one, still keeping the natural spontaneity and sincerity of the artist.

“Akli D., a politically committed artist?”

He is involved in actions like aid to Chechen orphans, the fight for registration of illegal immigrants, the battle of Algerian women against the family code, and generally every cause that touches this troubadour, concerned about the difficulties of his times (from the North African march in which he participated in 1985 when he was a young immigrant, to the student demonstrations and Malik Oussekin's “Death Theatre”)… his commitment inspired him to write songs like « Tchetchenia », « Malik », «Salam », « Ar Paris ». His new album is rich in racial mixtures. The lyrics speak of peace, fraternity and love. His first album had a cultural identity; this one has a more human identity, backed by an outsized, engrossing musical universe.

Akli D's new album is out now in the UK, here are some reviews from the English press:

The Metro, 23rd October 2006

Songlines October 2006

fRoots October 2006