« This project is about creating an electro music enriched by various influences (oriental, African, Westerners), bringing traditional instruments to accompany this sound creation, pushing them outside their comfort zone to play a contemporary music. We have one foot on the earth and one foot on the digital world to find wisdom, freedom, serenity«
The French-Moroccan artist Walid Ben Selim first made a name for himself in Morocco in 1999/2000 within the group Thug Gang founded with Widad Broco, the first female rapper of the country. As he settled in Perpignan (Pyrenees) in 2002, he started experimenting a new style between rap and rock metal, and discovered arabic poetry at the same period. Following the philosophy of Orient Express, a project he launched in 2016, Walid Ben Selim‘s current show is a duo with Widad Broco, who remains his sidekick MC, under the name of N3rdistan. Their way to dig in old arabic poetries, and to present it as lyrics of modern tracks gave birth to a first album, released on 15th February 2019.