Ammar 808

1104 fans
The future is right now. We have driverless cars, robots taking over jobs, and commercial space travel ison the event horizon. Somehow, humanity has slipped into a science fiction life. But you can’t have a future without a past, something AMMAR 808 knows very well. On his debut release, Maghreb United, featuring the singers Mehdi Nassouli (Morocco), SofianeSaidi (Algeria) and Cheb Hassen Tej (Tunisia), he connects the two to offer a radical, electronic reinvention of ancient North African music. “The past is a collective heritage,” explains AMMAR 808. He started the project a year ago, after working with the lauded Bargou 08, searching for something to link the sense of what has been with what will be. “It’s what we all call on, what we all share. The music on Maghreb Unitedis the past with now and the future with now. I’m trying to weave threads from folklore and mythology into futurism. And I’m not necessarily projecting a positive image; from all we can see, things aren’t going in the right direction. What I hope is that it will raise an alarm.”Yet there’s also plenty of hope here. With singers from Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco, songs from the Targ, Gnawa, and Raï histories, and a TR-808 alongside a distorted gumbri (Nassouli), gasba flute and zokra bagpipes (Lassaed Bougalmi), this is an album that reaches out to encompass the entire Maghreb area of North Africa.“In the past the Maghreb was one huge region, yet very diverse within its borders. But today, the world keeps every person separated. The album isn’t so much about a united Maghrebi region, but how we can connect while observing our differences–our differences are also our connection -and using them to unify as humans. This is an example of that.”
The choice of songs was also very deliberate for AMMAR 808, with nine of the ten cuts taken from the deep tradition.“It makes a difference when a song survives,” he observes. “It has power. We all die, but a song lives on, it travels through time. I’m trying to pass it forward in a different shape, trying to predict the music in 10, 50, 100 years. Not today, but tomorrow. And if you understand what’s important in the songs, you can use it to bring even more power to the tracks. I grew up with some of those songs; knowing them inside out gives a different perspective. It’s an album that brings power and traditional music together.”The idea for Maghreb United(which is also the name for the album’s performing group)has long been burning in AMMAR 808, but it burst into flame after the musician and producer met all the singers on his regular trips in the region, before returning home to start building the tracks.“The recording itself didn’t take long; everyone involved is very professional. The production took much longer. I ended up with 25 tracks, and I had to pare it down to the one idea that connected them all.”The deep, rumbling growl of the gumbri, the dry, airy tenderness of the gasba, and the softly slithering zokra give a powerful North African root to the music, a thread that spins back through centuries. And the singers burn with fire and grace and passion on lyrics like ‘Tonight our happiness will be complete/Tonight our energy will be complete’ (Layli). But it’s the TR-808 that’s at the heart of Maghreb United and sends it spiraling into the future.“As soon as you put on distortion, filters, samples, the 808 can shape the sound any wayyou want,” AMMAR 808 points out. It’s a sound shifter, another sense of the future now. “I’m a big science fiction fan; I dream about it. This project is a way to try and build a possible understanding of the world and the musical identity of the world today. It puts everything in a futuristic frame that opens ways to reflect on the present. Experimenting is my way of doing things, and this project is an experiment about a possible future through music and video. Not what will happen, but one possible outcome.”AMMAR 808 intends Maghreb United to be a completely immersive experience, something that will carry over into the live shows.“We’ll be accompanied by a VJ,” he says. “We’ve worked with a team of visual researchers, designers and actors to create a vision, to give the audience a total experience in real time, with everything coming together. The music is quite brutal live, all that bass and heaviness, and it’s not all pre-programmed. I can switch on the fly and go in any direction, we can change arrangements just by looking at each other.”Things can change in the blink of an eye. In life as well as music.“When you talk about today’s problems,” Ammar 808 says, “it’s already too late. People talk about what should be, when you need to project about the future.”And with Maghreb United, that’s exactly what AMMAR 808 does. It’s the great reinvention of a region’s music. It’s a call to action. It’s the future, right now.
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Top tracks

07
Pahi jagajjanani
Ammar 808
Global Control / Invisible Invasion
05:30
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
01
Douri Douri
Ammar 808
Club Tounsi
04:10
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
01
Ma bqa khire (Ammar 808 Remix)
Nass El Hal
Ma bqa khire
04:39
07
Ichki lel bey
Ammar 808
Maghreb United
03:43
Composers: Traditional
08
Kahl el inin
Ammar 808
Maghreb United
03:29
Composers: Traditional
03
Brobba
Ammar 808
Club Tounsi
03:36
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
02
Ah Yallila
Ammar 808
Club Tounsi
03:51
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
03
Mahaganapatim
Ammar 808
Global Control / Invisible Invasion
06:00
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
01
Laba Staifia (Ammar 808 Remix)
Acid Arab
Remixed
06:20
Writer: Nicholas Borne - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky / Composers: Nicholas Borne - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky
04
Lelliri Yamma
Ammar 808
Club Tounsi
04:21
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
01
Zawali Fitness Club
Ammar 808
Zawali Fitness Club
03:59
Writer: Ammar 808 - Cheb Hassen Tej / Composers: Ammar 808
03
Ain essouda
Ammar 808
Maghreb United
04:03
Composers: Traditional
02
Ey paavi
Ammar 808
Global Control / Invisible Invasion
05:16
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Ammar 808
01
Degdega
Ammar 808
Maghreb United
03:09
Composers: Traditional
05
Geeta duniki
Ammar 808
Global Control / Invisible Invasion
03:32
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
01
Marivere gati
Ammar 808
Marivere gati
04:16
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
02
Sidi kommi
Ammar 808
Maghreb United
03:44
Composers: Traditional
01
DALOONA (Live Version)
Zeina Aftimos
DALOONA (Live Version)
06:00
Composers: Zeina Aftimos - Ahmad Al Hrbawi

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  • Discography
Albums
℗ 2025 Glitterbeat Records
23-05-2025
Club Tounsi
01
Douri Douri
Ammar 808
Club Tounsi
04:10
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
02
Ah Yallila
Ammar 808
Club Tounsi
03:51
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
03
Brobba
Ammar 808
Club Tounsi
03:36
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
04
Lelliri Yamma
Ammar 808
Club Tounsi
04:21
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
05
Aman Aman
Ammar 808
Club Tounsi
04:54
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
06
Rakeb Aalhamra
Ammar 808
Club Tounsi
04:36
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
07
Eddayem Allah
Ammar 808
Club Tounsi
04:21
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
Access the complete album info (8 songs)
℗ 2025 Glitterbeat Records
07-02-2025
Live at Another Sky Festival
01
Alech taadini (Live at Another Sky Festival)
Ammar 808
Live at Another Sky Festival
05:33
02
Ain essouda (Live at Another Sky Festival)
Ammar 808
Live at Another Sky Festival
05:13
03
Ana ma nensak (Live at Another Sky Festival)
Ammar 808
Live at Another Sky Festival
08:36
04
Boganga & sandia (Live at Another Sky Festival)
Ammar 808
Live at Another Sky Festival
07:08
05
Dalila (Live at Another Sky Festival)
Ammar 808
Live at Another Sky Festival
04:33
06
Essoug rsam (Live at Another Sky Festival)
Ammar 808
Live at Another Sky Festival
05:36
07
Doudou Brahim (Live at Another Sky Festival)
Ammar 808
Live at Another Sky Festival
05:28
Access the complete album info (9 songs)
Glitterbeat Records
18-09-2020
Global Control / Invisible Invasion
01
Marivere gati
Ammar 808
Global Control / Invisible Invasion
04:16
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
02
Ey paavi
Ammar 808
Global Control / Invisible Invasion
05:16
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Ammar 808
03
Mahaganapatim
Ammar 808
Global Control / Invisible Invasion
06:00
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
04
Duryodhana
Ammar 808
Global Control / Invisible Invasion
04:46
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Ammar 808
05
Geeta duniki
Ammar 808
Global Control / Invisible Invasion
03:32
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
06
Arisothari yen devi
Ammar 808
Global Control / Invisible Invasion
04:46
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Ammar 808
07
Pahi jagajjanani
Ammar 808
Global Control / Invisible Invasion
05:30
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
Access the complete album info (8 songs)
Glitterbeat Records
15-06-2018
Maghreb United
01
Degdega
Ammar 808
Maghreb United
03:09
Composers: Traditional
02
Sidi kommi
Ammar 808
Maghreb United
03:44
Composers: Traditional
03
Ain essouda
Ammar 808
Maghreb United
04:03
Composers: Traditional
04
El bidha wessamra
Ammar 808
Maghreb United
03:23
Composers: Traditional
05
Layli
Ammar 808
Maghreb United
02:43
Composers: Traditional
06
Alech taadini
Ammar 808
Maghreb United
03:47
Composers: Traditional
07
Ichki lel bey
Ammar 808
Maghreb United
03:43
Composers: Traditional
Access the complete album info (10 songs)
EPs
2023 Shouka
21-04-2023
Super Stambeli
01
Arbia
Ammar 808
Super Stambeli
04:21
02
Doudou Brahim
Ammar 808
Super Stambeli
05:32
03
Doudou Brahim (Deena Abdelwahed Remix)
Ammar 808
Super Stambeli
05:40
04
Sidi Saad
Ammar 808
Super Stambeli
04:17
05
Yarima
Ammar 808
Super Stambeli
04:33
06
Yarima (3Phaz remix)
Ammar 808
Super Stambeli
03:39
Singles
2025 Zeina Aftimos
31-01-2025
DALOONA (Live Version)
01
DALOONA (Live Version)
Zeina Aftimos
DALOONA (Live Version)
06:00
Composers: Zeina Aftimos - Ahmad Al Hrbawi
2023 Ammar Records
09-01-2023
The Steel of Oman
01
The Steel of Oman
Ammar 808
The Steel of Oman
02:40
Writer: Ammar 808 / Composers: Ammar 808
Glitterbeat Records
12-06-2020
Marivere gati
01
Marivere gati
Ammar 808
Marivere gati
04:16
Writer: Traditional / Composers: Traditional
Glitterbeat Records
15-03-2019
Zawali Fitness Club
01
Zawali Fitness Club
Ammar 808
Zawali Fitness Club
03:59
Writer: Ammar 808 - Cheb Hassen Tej / Composers: Ammar 808
Featured in
Airfono / Carton Records
01-01-2017
El Ndjoum
01
Wahdi Ana W Galbi
Sofiane Saidi
El Ndjoum
05:58
Composers: Stéphane Cézard - Julien Lesuisse - Lucas Spirli
02
El Ndjoum
Sofiane Saidi
El Ndjoum
03:27
Composers: Sofiane Saidi - Stéphane Cézard
03
Yadra?
Sofiane Saidi
El Ndjoum
04:32
Composers: Adrien Spirli
04
Bourkan
Sofiane Saidi
El Ndjoum
04:42
Composers: Julien Lesuisse
05
La classe Fi Las Vegas
Sofiane Saidi
El Ndjoum
04:26
Composers: Adrien Spirli - Lucas Spirli
06
Yamma
Sofiane Saidi
El Ndjoum
04:43
Composers: Yann Lemeunier
07
Gasbah Trinsiti
Sofiane Saidi
El Ndjoum
05:26
Composers: Sofiane Saidi - Stéphane Cézard - Yann Lemeunier - Julien Lesuisse - Gilles Poizat - Adrien Spirli - Lucas Spirli
Access the complete album info (9 songs)
2019 Sans Commentaire
26-07-2019
Ma bqa khire
01
Ma bqa khire (Ammar 808 Remix)
Nass El Hal
Ma bqa khire
04:39
Crammed Discs
18-10-2019
Jdid
01
Staifia
Acid Arab
Jdid
06:09
Writer: Kenzi Bourras - Guido Cesarsky - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Nicholas Borne
02
Électrique Yarghol
Acid Arab
Jdid
06:32
Writer: Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Nicholas Borne
03
Nassibi
Acid Arab
Jdid
03:49
Writer: Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Nicholas Borne - Amel Wahby
04
Club DZ
Acid Arab
Jdid
05:05
05
Rimitti Dor
Acid Arab
Jdid
05:08
Writer: Sofiane Saidi - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Nicholas Borne
06
Rajel
Acid Arab
Jdid
05:37
Writer: Sofyann Ben Youssef - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Nicholas Borne
07
Soulan
Acid Arab
Jdid
04:57
Writer: Fatou Senedi Gali - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Madassane - Nicholas Borne
Access the complete album info (11 songs)
2019 Sans Commentaire
01-10-2017
Quand Comprendras-tu (Remixes)
01
Ma bqa khire (Ammar 808 Remix)
Nass El Hal
Quand Comprendras-tu (Remixes)
04:39
02
Daqet Bina (Hello Psychaleppo remix)
Nass El Hal
Quand Comprendras-tu (Remixes)
06:01
03
Daqet Bina (Arabstazy Remix)
Nass El Hal
Quand Comprendras-tu (Remixes)
04:26
04
Haragtou Faddani (Ghost of Christmas Remix)
Nass El Hal
Quand Comprendras-tu (Remixes)
03:42
05
A Ya Maskine (Adil Hiani Remix)
Nass El Hal
Quand Comprendras-tu (Remixes)
05:33
06
A Ya Maskine (Arabian Panther Remix)
Nass El Hal
Quand Comprendras-tu (Remixes)
04:58
07
El Bchara (Fenixprod Remix)
Nass El Hal
Quand Comprendras-tu (Remixes)
03:16
Access the complete album info (8 songs)
Crammed Discs
01-04-2022
Remixed
01
Laba Staifia (Ammar 808 Remix)
Acid Arab
Remixed
06:20
Writer: Nicholas Borne - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky / Composers: Nicholas Borne - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky
02
La Hafla (Delmore Remix)
Acid Arab
Remixed
04:31
Writer: Nicholas Borne - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky / Composers: Nicholas Borne - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky
03
Staifia (Polo & Pan Remix)
Acid Arab
Remixed
05:09
Writer: Nicholas Borne - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky / Composers: Nicholas Borne - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky
04
Ejma (The Reflex Revision)
Acid Arab
Remixed
07:56
Writer: Nicholas Borne - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky - Cem Yildiz / Composers: Nicholas Borne - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky - Cem Yildiz
05
Soulan (Laolu Remix)
Acid Arab
Remixed
07:39
Writer: Nicholas Borne - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky - Ahmoudou Madassane - Fatou Senedi Gali / Composers: Nicholas Borne - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky - Ahmoudou Madassane - Fatou Senedi Gali
06
Rajel (Mr Boom Remix)
Acid Arab
Remixed
05:02
Writer: Nicholas Borne - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky - Sofyann Ben Youssef / Composers: Nicholas Borne - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky - Sofyann Ben Youssef
07
Stil (Frankie Lluc Remix)
Acid Arab
Remixed
07:21
Writer: Nicholas Borne - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky - Cem Yildiz / Composers: Nicholas Borne - Kenzi Bourras - Hervé carvalho - Pierrot Casanova - Guido Cesarsky - Cem Yildiz
Access the complete album info (11 songs)