Sofiane Saidi

As part of Felfel, a Celebration of North African Cultures in France with the Institut du monde arabe

With:

Sofiane Saidi: artistic direction - vocals - machines
Théo Ceccaldi: violin
Valentin Ceccaldi: cello
Thibault Frisoni: vintage keyboards - drum machine
Léo Spiritof: sound spatialization - sound

Nicknamed the “Prince of Raï 2.0”, Sofiane Saidi has raised the temperature of this genre in countless Parisian venues, with his smoky, powerful, and hypnotic voice. Whether he sings in Oran, Paris, or New York City, audiences are equally spellbound. Performing solo or as part of a joyous collab (from Acid Arab to Rodolphe Burger), his name is now synonymous with a lively, festive, and popular music that electrifies venues all around the world. For the Felfel Festival, he will perform a new, more personal show. Surrounded by his friends, musicians Théo and Valentin Ceccaldi on violin and cello respectively, and Thibault Frisoni on keyboards, Sofiane Saidi is sure to take audiences on a veritable sound journey. Rendezvous July 12 in the garden of the Fondation Cartier!

Biographies

Originally from Sidi Bel Abbès, the cradle of Algerian Raï music, but now living in Paris, Sofiane Saidi has been nicknamed the “Prince of Raï 2.0”. Following the success of his album El Ndjoum, he toured the world alongside artists like Bojan Z, Tim Whelan, Natacha Atlas, Naab, Speed Caravan, Acid Arab, Mazalda, Ammar 808, Rodolphe Burger, and Catherine Ringer, giving a new lease of life to a musical genre that had been considered not only too sectarian but forgotten by the general public and music pioneers. The new voice of the Raï tradition with his distinctive rich, smoky tone and lively groove, Sofiane Saidi has honed a unique style, built on musical encounters and explorations that go beyond the borders of genre and identity.

Théo Ceccaldi is a violinist and violist. Named successively French Musician of the Year by Jazz Magazine, then Revelation of the Year at the Victoires du Jazz, he stands out today as one of the most unique voices on the new European jazz scene. The co-founder of Tricollectif and creator of the Théo Ceccaldi Trio, he remains a fan of musical encounters and regularly collaborates with multiple groups and artists of national and international renown. The year 2023 sees the launch of Théo Ceccaldi’s “No Borders” laboratory based around the different musicians encountered on tour in recent years.

Valentin Ceccaldi is a cellist, composer, and arranger. Born into a family of musicians, he studied the cello at the conservatory until the age of seventeen. In the late 2000s, he widened his musical practice, playing with, amongst others, Tricollectif and the Grand Orchestre du Tricot. Today, his work revolves around long-term collaborations with his brother Théo Ceccaldi, Sylvain Darrifourcq, Roberto Negro, and Mathieu Pion. He also works on projects for the worlds of dance and theater, as well as various sound and musical adventures.

Thibault Frisoni is a musician, producer, and composer. He toured with Salif Keita, Hindi Zahra, Abd Al Malik, Bertrand Belin, and Nosfell. For the cinema, he has composed music for Dominik Moll, whom he has accompanied on a number of projects over the past twenty years. As a music producer, he has worked on albums for Bertrand Belin, Nosfel, Oshen, and Lescop. In the studio, on stage or as a composer, he has collaborated with artists such as Jeanne Added, Dominique A, Rodolphe Burger, Albin de la Simone, Jp Nataf, Pauline Croze, Salvatore Adamo, Barbara Carlotti, Fredrika Stall, and many others…

Léo Spiritof is a sound engineer. Based in Paris, he regularly works in the studio and live for artists such as Rodolphe Burger, Sofiane Saidi, Sarah Murcia, and Christophe Calpini. He has also collaborated with Rachid Taha, Jacques Higelin, Bertrand Belin, and Yarol Poupaud. Specializing in current music, his various collaborations have nevertheless brought him to work in the performing arts, on projects like Ludwig, un roi sur la lune by Madeleine Louarn, Jusqu’au bout du monde by Thomas Chaussebourg, or for the cinema with Douze mille by Nadège Trebal.