“Berani” means “the exile”, and it follows someone who leaves home in search of freedom and a better future. Rabie Houti made that move himself, leaving Oran, the Algerian city where raï took shape, for Montpellier around 2014. “Berani” is the second single from his upcoming album, after “Rwahou“.

A violinist and singer, Houti leads the Rabie Houti Band, drawn from Montpellier’s cross-cultural music scene. His Algerian violin, rooted in the Arab-Andalusian repertoire, leads a band that pitches it against electric blues guitar, drums, bass and synths. The EP that “Berani” trails leans harder into rock than his earlier records.

He belongs to the sono mondiale lineage, the French world-music movement whose defining figure was Rachid Taha, the Algerian-French singer who drove raï and chaabi into rock.

Stream “Berani” HERE