Raï & Maghreb

Raï radio, live from Paris: Khaled, Cheb Mami, Cheb Kader and Cheikha Rimitti on زِين, Wa3's Maghreb show. It plays every early afternoon on the Arabica channel, with Dahmane El Harrachi's Algiers chaabi, Idir and Rachid Taha alongside — free, in any browser.

Raï was born in Oran, in western Algeria, out of the old Bedouin songs the cheikhas sang at weddings and in cafés — Cheikha Rimitti above all. In the late seventies and eighties the chebs, the 'young ones', put synths and drum machines under it: Khaled, Cheb Mami and Cheb Kader are that generation, and Khaled's Didi took raï round the world in 1992.

On Wa3, raï lives on زِين, the Maghreb show Suki hosts on the Arabica channel every early afternoon, Paris time. It sits beside Dahmane El Harrachi's Algiers chaabi, Idir's A Vava Inouva sung in Kabyle, Rachid Taha and the women's orchestra of Tétouan — an hour for a long lunch or the slow start of the afternoon.

Khaled, Cheb Mami, Cheb Kader, Cheb Rezki, Cheikha Rimitti, Dahmane El Harrachi, Dallo, El Shab Arab, Fayçal Azizi, Hamid Baroudi, Idir, Rachid Taha, Rahima, Orchestre Feminin De Tétouan, Zina

Questions

Where can I listen to raï radio online for free?

On Wa3: زِين plays raï and Maghreb music every early afternoon (Paris time) on the Arabica channel — Khaled, Cheb Mami, Cheb Kader, Cheikha Rimitti. Free, no account, in any browser.

What is raï music?

Raï is the popular song of Oran, in western Algeria: born from the Bedouin songs of the cheikhas, turned electric by the chebs of the eighties. The word means 'opinion', and raï has always been known for speaking plainly.

Is there a Khaled radio?

Khaled is at the heart of زِين — Didi, Sbabi, El Arbi — with Cheb Mami's Bledi and Haoulou close by. The show airs on Wa3's Arabica channel every day in the early afternoon; its page has the times.

Which Wa3 shows play Raï & Maghreb?

زِين — see each show's page for its days and times (Paris).

How do I listen to Raï & Maghreb?

Press “Listen” on this page: it opens wa3.live on the Arabica channel, in any browser on phone or computer — free, no account. Wa3 also streams as plain MP3 for radio apps.