Today I propose you something a bit different: to listen to two different versions of the same theme in two completely different musical genres. More specifically, one version in the original language and sonority (Arab) and another one from the Balkan region. Sounds good? Well, let's get to it then!
The theme is called "Ya Rayah", which is arab for "Oh Emigrant", and it speaks about the numerous adversities emigrants have to face in the host country, as well as their desire to return to their home country. It was written and recorded in the 70s by the Algerian born Dahmane El Rachid, but it was his fellow countryman Rachid Taha who gave it a higher visibility 15 years later. Ironically, Rachid is himself an Algerian emigrant in France (to where he moved with his parents at the age of 10) who suffered, together with his father, the hardships of an emigrant from the Magreb region in Napoleonic lands, having worked under conditions which resembled that of a "modern slavery". But it was in France that Rachid found out his love for music and became a DJ, never forgetting his arab roots.
"Ya Rayah" fits into the musical genre "Raï", which is a sort of endemic pop music from Algeria, frequently used as a means for political protest. With that being said, I leave you with the version of "Ya Rayah" by Rachid Taha that may be found, for example, in the last disc of the compilation album Oriental Fever.
The success of this theme inspired many artists to create versions of it in several different languages and musical genres, from a Balkan Gypsy one, with its characteristic metals, to a version in a Mariachi style! The second version I bring you today is sung in Romanian and it was created by Shantel, a German DJ with Romanian ascendancy who is one of the greatest ambassadors of Balkan music. It's included in the album Gypsy Garden, Volume 2. Which of these versions is the best one? You decide. See you next time!
The theme is called "Ya Rayah", which is arab for "Oh Emigrant", and it speaks about the numerous adversities emigrants have to face in the host country, as well as their desire to return to their home country. It was written and recorded in the 70s by the Algerian born Dahmane El Rachid, but it was his fellow countryman Rachid Taha who gave it a higher visibility 15 years later. Ironically, Rachid is himself an Algerian emigrant in France (to where he moved with his parents at the age of 10) who suffered, together with his father, the hardships of an emigrant from the Magreb region in Napoleonic lands, having worked under conditions which resembled that of a "modern slavery". But it was in France that Rachid found out his love for music and became a DJ, never forgetting his arab roots.
"Ya Rayah" fits into the musical genre "Raï", which is a sort of endemic pop music from Algeria, frequently used as a means for political protest. With that being said, I leave you with the version of "Ya Rayah" by Rachid Taha that may be found, for example, in the last disc of the compilation album Oriental Fever.
The next video is an excellent performance of the theme by the same singer but, this time, in a live concert.
The success of this theme inspired many artists to create versions of it in several different languages and musical genres, from a Balkan Gypsy one, with its characteristic metals, to a version in a Mariachi style! The second version I bring you today is sung in Romanian and it was created by Shantel, a German DJ with Romanian ascendancy who is one of the greatest ambassadors of Balkan music. It's included in the album Gypsy Garden, Volume 2. Which of these versions is the best one? You decide. See you next time!
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