Sidi Bemol, (France-Algeria) Musician, singer, composer, auteur, graphic designer, caricaturist, inventor of the algerian “Gourbi-Rock”, this unique poet of modern times presents in 2014 a new Berber-Gypsie project “Âfra”, along with his 9th album !
Far beyond his compositions, writings and thoughts, a deep voice rises from the heart, Hocine Boukellas heart. Simply, a man who realy believes in love. Thats right Sidi Bemol… leaves, in 2014, his honorary title of “Cheikh” behind. Humble as always, and full of charisma, Sidi Bemol is now greying a bit but has lost neither his satiric edge and sharp wit, nor the sparkle in the eyes, but he choosed to name his latest album “afya”, which in Algerian means “serenity”, “peace”, “elevation” and” light”.
Sidi Bemol never stops creating, writing, composing and observing the world around him. This curiosity is further reflected through the choice of his musicians, themselves a new rising generation: Damien Fleau, Clement Janinet, Benoit Medrykowski, Maxime Fleau et Jean Rollet-Grard, all of whom share some points in common. Whether graduating from Didier Lockwood school, being brothers, brothers in law, and friends, or practising a variety of musical genre (jazz, world, electro, rock, film music ) they are all gifted with talent and they use it to contribute to bring Sidi Bemols visionary ideas into music.
Sidi Bemol, has a rich discography already. A first opus, “Sidi Bmol” was released in 1998, conceived like a radio from the seventies broadcasting different musical genres (rock, blues, traditional…). He then recorded a “live at the Bledstock” (Algiers) in 2000. The year after, with “Thalweg”, he takes a Berbero-Celtic detour. Then he releases” El Bandi”, very successful in Algeria since 2003. After having played on many international scenes, Sidi Bemol come back in 2007 with 10 new terribly rock songs in the album “Gourbi Rock”. Drawing on its success, the artist continues his musical exploration with “Chants de Marins Kabyles” in 2008, surprising by its originality, its simplicity, the a capella songs reveal a warm Kabyle bluesman voice. For his 7th album, Sidi Bemol, his festive sounds, the warmth of the Berberico-Celtic groove, invite us to a musical trip from Brittany to Kabylia, from Ireland to Sahara, under the title “Paris-Alger-Bouzeguene”.
Between October 2013 and February 2014, he released 2 new albums : The 2nd volume of “Chants de Marins Kabyles” and a new Berbero-gypsy project “Afya”.
Sidi Bemol it’s also a record label, CSB Productions, that allows him to produce his own albums but also those of “Azenzar”, a Kabyle singer or “Zerda”, an Algerian rock band. This label also produced “Sortie d’Usine”, a compilation album bringing together 20 songs from the musicians of “Louzine”, a Franco-Maghrebin artist collective in which groups like Orchestre National de Barbes or Gaada Diwane de Bechar have developped. In a permanent search for independence, he also created the online retailer Undergroone to help the distribution of North African Bands.
Surprising by the richness of his music, Sidi Bemol (a.k.a. Hocine Boukella or Cheikh for the fans and Elho for the friends) is the composer of fusion : between modernity and tradition, between chaabi, gnawa, blues and rock, Berberic and Celtic music. Changing languages over the albums -Arabic, Berber, French and English-, his texts are meaningful, successively poetic, nostalgic, critical, humorous. He depicts society with much tenderness and lucidity… This guy, really, never stops creating !
