Rahmann - 1980 (full album)

French one-shot (from 1977) Rahmann plays in a fairly unique style, mixing fusion and Arabic flavours with a slight zeuhl feel courtesy of explosive bass lines and repetitive rhythmic patterns. Their music could be characterized as jazz fusion with zeuhl-associated musicians performing on it (Didier Lockwood and Liza Deluxe (Magma), and Gerard Prevost (Zao)). The central point of all music is Mahamad Hadi's guitar sound, heavily influenced by Mahavishnu Orchestra. Another musical layers are bouzouki and oud sounds. The mix is finished by energetic drumming, keyboards and some North African percussion. Whenever pure instrumental, it could be named as "instrumental Zeuhl" with Middle Eastern influence ( what isn't strange, whenever band's leader is of Algerian origin).
This is a very competently produced album, with very clear sound and excellent instrumental performances. Recommended to anyone who thinks a cross between zeuhl a la Magma and Eastern-tinged fusion a la Mahavishnu Orchestra sounds like an interesting proposition.

Band's line up :
Mahamad Hadi, synth-guitar, electric guitar, fretless guitar, oud, bouzouki, snitra;
Amar Mecharaf, drums, percussion;
Michel Rutigliano, acoustic piano, grand piano, ARP Odyssey;
Gérard Prevost, acoustic bass, fretless bass;
Louis-César Ewande, percussion;
with Nadia Yamina Hadi, vocal; Didier Lockwood, violin; Sylvain Marc, fretless bass; Richard Gérard Kurdjian Guem, ney, tablas, darbouka; Liza Deluxe, vocals; Joël Loviconi, electric piano; Ali Shaigan, violin

http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=992