Rachid Taha Rocks the Casbah

Here are two videos of Rachid Taha.  I mentioned him commenting on Calvin's blog today, and then realized that almost no one in Asia will have any idea what kind of music he makes.  So, here are two examples.  "Rock El Casbah" is a reworking of the Clash's nugget "Rock the Casbah" (Rachid acknowledges that The Clash were a decided influence on his music) with Steve Hillage and Brian Eno providing the chorus, and "Barra Barra", which shows how masterfully Rachid mixes traditional North African sounds and rhythms with hard-driving rock.  Both videos also give a taste of his intensity on stage.

Video: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=7DbFYsi9iSg Video: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nUbzX3izyw4