- country:Spain
- region:Barcelona
- style(s):Chaabi, World Pop
- label:not signed
- gender:male
- instrumentation:instrumental, vocal
- artist posted by:Mas Clemente, Florencio
Line up
- Yacine Belhacene (vocal)
- Yannis Papaioannou (electric oud)
Links
Yacine Belhacene was the leader and singer of Cheb Balowski and Nour, two bands who defined the urban / mestizo sound from Barcelona of the early 2000s.
Re imagined as Yacine & the Oriental Groove, his music matured, without losing a bit of energy. The sound is urban, hard but sophisticated at once. The electric oud of Yannis Papaioannou, full of wah wah and effects, naturally draws Eastern Mediterranean melodies over North African, reggae or pop rhythms. Sometimes as if we were in a return of the 60's groups, sometimes traditional, but always very intense. Keyboards accentuate the feeling of psychedelic group, expanding soundscapes, while the rhythm section: bass, drums and percussion, masterfully maintains the rhythms of chaabi, rock, reggae or funk, giving to the ensemble the drive to convert a concert of Yacine & The Oriental Groove into an experience that moves simulta- neously brain, feet and over all: the soul.