Ilyes is a singer, pianist, composer and arranger from Algeria. He was born in 1972 in Batna’s mountains. He started to appear at the age of 12 as a singer, during parties and weddings where he was singing the Berber and Arab Andalusian repertoires.
At the age of 15, he entered the academy of music in Batna to learn the Western classical instruments (cello, piano and composition). Quickly, Ilyes made himself known as a prolific creator. He quickly became the director of Batna’s philharmonic orchestra, which associated 40 musicians into an original project of harmonization and re-interpretation of Chawi (Chaoui) traditional repertoire. This orchestra would cut across the Arab and Muslim world (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Syria, Egypt, Turkey, etc.). At the same time, Ilyes started a collaboration with the French composer and arranger Serge Folie, and they are still working together to make Ilyes’ music more and more universally understood.
In 1998, Ilyes left Algeria and chose to settle in Lyon (France). In a very short time, he created an orchestra with 6 to 19 musicians, choosing to play mainly with French musicians with a purpose of fusion.
Since he arrived to France, Ilyes conquered the audience of many prestigious stages (Auditorium of Lyon, Opera of Lyon, and different French theaters) achieving one of his most beloved dreams, which was to present his own repertoire, inspired by the Chawi (Chaoui) and the Aures: the traditional style of the Eastern mountains, mixed up with the classical music culture and a modern sound approach. Ilyes tackles the contemporary themes of the Algerian situation, a mix of hope and suppressed anger.
Discography:
Ilyes & Batna’s Musical Ensemble (1998)
Voyageur (2004)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
