Various Artists Various Maghreb K7 Club

Les Disques Bongo Joe and Sofa Records proudly present a compilation of music from Maghreb recorded and produced in Lyon (France) between 1985 and 1997. It gathers eight tracks (plus introductions on the vinyl and CD versions) released back then on audio tape - and provide them for the first time on vinyl! Most of the musicians featured in this compilation lived in the Rhône-Alpes region - and enlivened it's musical life, concentrated in the Guillotière district in the centre of Lyon. As one of the epicentre of Maghrebian popular music in France's South-West, it is around that square that a real, unofficial, alternative and dynamic musical scene was carried and fostered by a nebula of musicians, publishers, shop owners, restaurants and music cafés. At that time of profuse and emancipated musical crossbreeding, this compilation gives a glimpse of the epoch's vibe and trends - in which traditional songs, local influences and contemporary musical technologies were all mixed together. Throughout the compilation, songs belonging to Algerian popular repertoires are restyled through the use of synthesizers and drum machines, and often sound like pop, funk or disco tunes... Deeply tapped into the daily life of these musicians, they give us a glimpse of the reality of exile and situation of the immigrant, and speak about separation, uprooting, love, as much as social injustices and political events. They belong to the realm of the do-it-yourself, and to a time of unrestrained, free creativity!