Kenzi Bourras

Born in Sétif, Algeria, and based in Paris since the 2000s, Kenzi Bourras has built a career at the crossroads of raï, oriental music, rock, hip‑hop and electronic music. A composer, arranger and keyboardist, he has developed a musical language in which melodies and phrasings from the Maghrebi repertoire meet urban rhythms and more contemporary forms. His work has led him to play with and collaborate alongside artists from diverse backgrounds, including Khaled, Fadela, Zahouania, Raïna Raï, Rachid Taha, Mick Jones, Sofiane Saidi, 113 and Kery James. This movement between scenes highlights Bourras’s role in projects that blend popular traditions, modernized raï, hybrid rock and rap. From the early days of Acid Arab he has also contributed to their compositions and arrangements, shaping an aesthetic that brings North African heritage into dialogue with electronic dance music.