Biography
French-Algerian outfit Acid Arab blend house and techno grooves with a broad array of Middle Eastern and North African dance styles such as dabke, raï, and chaabi. Their core focus lies in merging the intricate rhythmic patterns found in Eastern traditions with analog gear. Initial recognition arrived through a run of events plus a 2013 sequence of EPs and a compilation, after which the project grew into a widely celebrated live act on the global circuit. Three full-length studio efforts followed: Musique de France in 2016, Jdid in 2019, and Trois in 2023, each showcasing contributions from Les Filles de Illighadad, Sofiane Saidi, and Rachid Taha.
DJs Guido Minisky and Hervé Carvalho launched Acid Arab in 2012; Sex Schön members Nicolas Borne and Pierre-Yves Casanova came aboard soon after, with keyboardist Kenzi Bouras completing the lineup. What began as a concept quickly progressed into regular parties and then a distinct sonic identity, prompting Versatile Records to issue the Acid Arab Collections EP series in 2013 that drew input from Legowelt, Jorge Velez, I:Cube, Omar Souleyman, and additional artists. A CD edition later gathered many of those tracks. Following one last Versatile release, the 2015 EP Djazirat El Maghreb, the group moved to Belgium’s Crammed Discs and delivered their first album, Musique de France, in 2016. Algerian raï pioneer Rachid Taha, the Yemenite-Israeli trio A-WA, and Turkish musician Cem Yıldız appeared among its guests. Steady slots on worldwide club and festival bills continued, leading to the 2016 arrival of second album Jdid. Les Filles de Illighadad, Ammar 808, and Amel Wahby joined the sessions, as did prior collaborators including Rizan Said and Sofiane Saidi. After the 2022 remix collection Remixed, third album Trois surfaced in 2023 with Cheb Halim, Khnafer Lazhar, Fella Soltana, and a posthumous Rachid Taha contribution among its featured artists.
DJs Guido Minisky and Hervé Carvalho launched Acid Arab in 2012; Sex Schön members Nicolas Borne and Pierre-Yves Casanova came aboard soon after, with keyboardist Kenzi Bouras completing the lineup. What began as a concept quickly progressed into regular parties and then a distinct sonic identity, prompting Versatile Records to issue the Acid Arab Collections EP series in 2013 that drew input from Legowelt, Jorge Velez, I:Cube, Omar Souleyman, and additional artists. A CD edition later gathered many of those tracks. Following one last Versatile release, the 2015 EP Djazirat El Maghreb, the group moved to Belgium’s Crammed Discs and delivered their first album, Musique de France, in 2016. Algerian raï pioneer Rachid Taha, the Yemenite-Israeli trio A-WA, and Turkish musician Cem Yıldız appeared among its guests. Steady slots on worldwide club and festival bills continued, leading to the 2016 arrival of second album Jdid. Les Filles de Illighadad, Ammar 808, and Amel Wahby joined the sessions, as did prior collaborators including Rizan Said and Sofiane Saidi. After the 2022 remix collection Remixed, third album Trois surfaced in 2023 with Cheb Halim, Khnafer Lazhar, Fella Soltana, and a posthumous Rachid Taha contribution among its featured artists.
Albums
Singles
