New Moon

Abdelli, born in Behalil, Algeria, is Kabyl. The Kabyls, like the Chleuhs, the Mzabits and Tuaregs, are part of the Berber tribe, the original inhabitants of North Africa (7000BC). Today they can be found from the Canary Islands to Egypt, from the Mediterranean to Nigeria.

The Berbers are united by a common language and alphabet (tifinagh), by their art and a system of common thought which for centuries has resisted all outside change. Seeking refuge in the mountains to escape invaders, the Kabyls have managed to preserve their culture until the present day. With such strong roots, Kabyl music —its themes and instruments— remains totally different from other Arabic music.

At the age of seventeen, the young man decides to go to Algiers and buy his first mandola. Before even having learnt how to pluck the strings, melodies and words flow as if of their own accord.

From 1984 onwards, the singer receives invitations to perform in France, Germany and Denmark. He knows that travel enriches the mind and his songs, whose words are full of poetry , express ancient images of Berber culture in universal values, show tolerance and an open mind.

In 1987, without a real home-base, Abdelli is arrested on entering Denmark where he’d expected to stay for a few months playing concerts. After a night in prison, the authorities put him on the first available flight: destination Brussels.

Faithful to the musical tradition of his people, Abdelli improvises words and melodies according to the inspiration of the moment (something which doesn’t make life easy for his musicians or producer).

Arriving in the Belgian capital, he has twenty-four hours until the next flight for Algiers. What can he do to kill time?

He can always “do Brussels”, and take back an image of his short visit to Europe! Seeing a fellow musician playing with his guitar case open on the ground, Abdelli puts down his mandola case in a station corridor and starts singing.

The coins soon start to roll in…

On that first day (which should have been his last) a high-ranking official passes by. He stops, listens intently and falls so much under the spell of the music that he offers to put Abdelli up and help him.

Abdelli’s voice possesses an hypnotic strength which has opened doors for him more than once during his career. The mountain, Abdelli would say, only seems high to the person standing at its base.

Among the “good guys” Abdelli has met on his travels is Thierry Van Roy, a producer whose sensitive ears allow him to discover his talents. Captivated by the beauty of the Kabyl singer’s voice, Thierry Van Roy searched for two years for the roots of this nomadic singer.

According to a study at the University of Algiers, the Berbers could have landed on the American continent long before Christopher Colombus (names of towns with Berber roots are evidence of this). The result of his musical research is an unusual collaboration between Berber, South American and Ukrainian cultures. On this album, ancient rhythms reflect the birth of a new family.

Chilean music is influenced by the music of the aboriginal Indians, the rhythms of the black slaves brought back by the conquistadores from Africa and the music imported by the Spanish. The bandoura, on the other hand, reflects the unique sound of the Ukraine.

Kabyl and South American percussion have created new and colourful rhythms. The Kabyl goubahi and berpuali have been mixed with the Uruguayan candombé, the Venezuelan joropo, the Afro-Peruvian lando (traditional rhythm of the black slaves of Peru), the cueca (traditional Chilean dance), the Chilean rin and the Cuban rumba.

The Kabyl quarter tone has combined with the equally tempered Western scale imported by the Spanish to South America. If one thinks of the Andalusian influences brought back by the Arabian conquests, it makes sense that Kabyl melodies are very close to European harmonies and that they combine so well with the Chilean sensibility.

Kabyl music uses a medium range with hardly any low or high tones. South American music extends the range: for instance, the Argentinian bombo has deep tones while the maracas and tambourines supply the missing high tones.

Differing from normal studio productions, Abdelli’s voice was recorded first so as to allow complete freedom for the rest of the arrangements.

Christine Van-Acker