DUOUD

The mighty parisian musicans-producers duet DuOuD – Mehdi Haddab & Smadj have been the first band to mix the North African oud with electronic sounds. The pair builds a musical cycle that looks to their North African roots while absorbing and morphing contemporary music styles break beats, techno, jazz, grooves & rock guitar sounds, they do it with such an imaginative freedom that sets them apart from their contemporaries. Their Debut album « Wild Serenade » saw them winner for the Best Newcomer award in the BBC Music awards supported by 3 years world tour. In 2006, DuOud is recording “Sakat” in Yemen with Abdulatif Yagoub. A true meeting of culture, a deep and rare jewel. On “Ping Kong”, the duet hovers between tradition and futurism, with varying moods ranging from surf kitsch to contemporary groove, with featuring from Cyril Atef and Vincent Segal from Bumcello and Malouma.

Jean-Pierre Smadja aka Smadj as an artist, producer – recording engineer never stops experiencing musical collaborations on various projects with great artists such Burhan Öçal, Erik Truffaz, Talvin Singh Cem Yildiz, Ibrahim Maalouf, Bojan Z… Algerian Born, Mehdi Haddab is well known as both a virtuoso player of the classical oud, and for his pioneering musical project Speed Caravan breaking into the rock world armed with an electric oud. Mehdi and his Speed Caravan have buildt their reputation and fan base at festivals worldwide, Speed Caravan’s electrifying, high-energy stage performance has become their trademark.

Both of them have chosen the oud, just like one chooses one’s favorite pastry: with an accepted greed, without fear nor complex. And they truly became a phenomenon. Respectfully insolent with the instrument tradition, alternating “classical” Arab tunes and personal compositions, warmth of the acoustic instrument and electronic saturation, Duoud burnt the stage during many years. After years of projets and exploration, the “Enfants Terribles” of the oud are back ! The new repertoire already polished in China, Australia, India, Panama, East Africa, Albania, Belgium, Portugal among other stages. An album just like them. Smadj & Mehdi Haddab are as much pranksters as the Menshen who represent them on the album, these door keepers borrowed from Chinese iconography. Characters that go in pairs, funny and mystical at the same time; as much as these two very same musicians. Assumed playfulness, respectful insolence.

An oxymoron of this ilk. “Les enfants terribles” of the oud are back! Reckless as ever: “Smadj and Mehdi Haddab are not only the guardians of a door: they bless the movement that makes the threshold pass, in one direction or the other”. Bertrand Dicale