Mehdi Haddab is a French-Algerian musician, born in Algiers of an Algerian father and a French mother. He grew up in Algeria and Burundi. Endowed with a solid classical musical training acquired from Arab and Turkish masters, he settled in Paris.
Haddab revolutionized the traditional oud by introducing an electric version of the instrument. He has made significant contributions in exploring the versatility of the electric oud and incorporating it into various music genres, including rock. Indeed, Haddab is known in the West as the “Jimi Hendrix of the electric oud” for his masterful performances.
He founded several world music bands, including Parisian-based global electronica act Ekova; the trailblazing oud duo DuOud with Jean-Pierre Smadja; and Speed Caravan. He also collaborated with prominent musicians, including Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones.
(headline photo DuOud)
Discography:
With Duoud:
Wild Serenade (Label Bleu, 2002)
Sakat, with Abdulatif Yagoub (Label Bleu, 2005)
Ping Kong (World Village, 2009)
With Speed Caravan
Kalashnik Love (Newbled Records, 2008)
Big Blue Desert (World Village, 2016)
Nuba Nova (Buda Musique, 2021)
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.