Akim_el_sikameya

At their closest point, the continents of Europe and Africa are a mere seven miles apart. In the music of Akim El Sikameya, they seem even closer together, such is the beauty and power of the Algerian-born singer/violinist’s fusion of Arabic and Andalusian music traditions. Born and raised in the musical hotspot of Oran (hometown, of course, of such heavyweights as Khaled and Rachid Taha), Akim then transplanted himself across the Mediterranean to Marseille, a city that’s far from a creative desert itself. There he recorded his debut album, 1999’s Atifa-Oumi, before heading out on the road with his diminutive (but exceedingly well-appointed) band, supporting compatriots Khaled and Cheb Mami as well as the likes of Natacha Atlas, Cesaria Evora and the marvellous Les Negresses Vertes. It was the kind of company his music deserved. With the calm tones of his violin dovetailing to millimetre-perfection with boisterous flamenco guitar, this is the sound of cultures not colliding but sharing, of friendship not feuding. As warm and welcoming as a Mediterranean summer breeze.