Maghreb K7 Club: Synth Rai Chaoui & Staifi 1985-1997 CD

Since the 1950s, Lyon has played host to a vibrant cross-cultural musical scene, where musicians with North African heritage gather together in cafes to make music that blurs cultural and stylistic boundaries. As "Maghreb K7 Club" shows, some of these social meetings resulted in similarly inspired and unlikely collaborations. The compilation includes tracks made between 1985 and 1997, by and large those that utilised synthesizers and drum machines as well as traditional North African instrumentation, musical motifs and vocals. It's a hugely vibrant collection, with nods towards synth-pop, 1980s electrofunk and, most thrillingly of all, Jean-Michel Jarre's "Oxygen" (see Salah El Annabi's "Hata Fi Annaba"). In a word: intoxicating.

Dj SoFa