Cheb Youcef

Having previously anchored the rhythm section behind Cheb Mami, Youcef Boukella—performing under the name Cheb Youcef—has maintained steady forward progress in his own right. His first outing as a solo artist, the 1998 album Sheik Sidi Flat, achieved substantial success throughout France, the country that has been his home since the middle of the 1980s. In the role of producer, Youcef guided the sessions for the multi-artist anthology Night and Day, which the Paris daily Liberation later selected as its Best World Music Recording.

Born in the working-class district of Selcourt, Youcef absorbed formative impressions from an older sibling who introduced him to classic rock and bossa nova discs; Egyptian film scores, Kabyl folk traditions, reggae, funk, and Algerian rai proved equally formative. He launched his professional path supplying bass lines for Warzon and T34, two pioneering Arabic rock outfits. In the late 1980s he relocated to Paris alongside American jazz pianist Jeff Gardner. There he struck up a friendship with the widely admired rai vocalist Cheb Mami and soon began supporting the singer at neighborhood gatherings.

Over the years Youcef has participated in numerous ensembles. He established Sidi Bemol in 1990 and co-founded Connection Wog eight years afterward. While performing with Orchestra National de Barbes, he contributed to the celebrated album ONB, which ultimately surpassed 100,000 units sold. He presently performs with a group of his own that includes former Cheb Mami drummer/vocalist Karim Ziad, ex-Raina Ray singer Larbi Dida, and percussionist Miguel Anga.