Kad Achouri

b. 1969, Mazamet, Tarn, France. Achouri took a very early interest in music although for some years he was also a very good tennis player with international promise. However, he studied music including periods at a music conservatory and by correspondence. He lived for a time in Barcelona, Spain before eventually settling in London, England. Achouri’s first record release was a 2000 vinyl single, ‘Latina Me’. His songwriting skills proved to be significant in his acceptance within the music business when Natacha Atlas recorded three of his songs for a 2001 album, which led directly to the session producer agreeing to record Achouri’s debut, Liberté, which was released by Stern’s Records the following year. In his own performances, whether playing piano or singing, Achouri blends traditional music of the Mediterranean region, French chanson and contemporary smooth jazz sounds. He has even touched on advanced forms of jazz by sampling excerpts by Archie Shepp on Liberté. Of Algerian-Spanish ancestry, Achouri sings in several languages and notably displays his affinity with the music of the lands in which he has lived and from which his heritage derives. Both Liberté and the accomplished 2005 follow-up Sociéte attracted a wide audience among world music followers. Achouri has continued with his backroom activities and in addition to composing for others, including Femi, Vanessa Mae and Ive Mendes, he has also worked as a producer.
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