Double Best

Cheikh El Hasnaoui (Mohamed Khelouat) is a Kabyle-speaking Algerian singer, musician and songwriter. His assumed name refers to his native region, the Aarch des Ihassenaouen (Iḥesnawen), confederation of the Ait Aïssi, where he was born on in the hamlet of Taâzibt, village of Tadart Tamuqrant in the commune of Beni Zmenzer, south of the town of Tizi Ouzou, Kabylia (Algeria). He died in Saint Pierre de la Réunion on. Cheikh El Hasnaoui, often associated with a major song entitled La Maison Blanche, made a name for himself in the 1930s, creating a style all his own, recognizable by the cascade of his deep voice, the haunting tones of the banjo and his lyrics evoking sentimental pain. Cheikh El Hasnaoui went into exile in France because of this pain. From Lounès Matoub to Lounis Ait Menguellet and later Kamel Messaoudi, many others have been inspired by or evoke Cheikh El Hasnaoui's music, and his recurring theme of exile as a source of inspiration.