A second volume of hypnotic proto-Raï from Algeria by Drissi El-Abbassi, a pioneer of the style who bridged its early roots with synths, drum machines and multi-track digital recording techniques during the sound’s rapid evolution.

Vol 2 gives a second shine to a figure relatively unsung beyond the North African Arabic diaspora, focusing on his unusually balmy, soft-voiced take on a genre that’s came to be known for its harder edges. Set to a mix of microtonal synth leads and swaying drum machines, El-Abbassi’s vocals emote with particular clarity and sensuality, carrying the jazz and psych rock-inspired early sound into a prototype of its current form.

Born in Sidi Bel Abbès, 70 kilometers south of Oran (the birthplace of raï) Cheb Mohamed Drissi, better known as Drissi Al-Abbassi, started his journey in 1978 when at 17 years old he joined Oran's Les Aigles Noirs, a group that played mostly covers of Western pop hits. Drissi released his first tape in 1979, accompanied on guitar by Les Freres Zergui legend Ahmed Zergui who lavished the tracks with wah wah riffs that helped the music achieve cult status in Algeria. His track 'Jat Jat' - which was included on the first volume - was covered by Cheb Khaled, one of the best-known Arabic-language singers in history, and soon the requests for solo shows were flooding in.

'Volume 2' spans Drissi's entire career, placing his early work with Zergui (who sadly passed away in 1983) alongside tracks from his time playing with Omar Assou, Kassem Atek, Nasser and Houari Toubi and then onto his later material using drum machines and synths to fill out his sound. Acidic synth stabs and pitch-bent leads cut through Drissi's folk-pop romanticism on 'Rani Ndal Nsâaf Feli Rayha Tlef', dancing with ornate strings and his signature thwacks, and winding behind jerky drum machine loops on the saturated and reverb-drenched 'Ala Jal Ouahda'.

Colour us enchanted with the lot of these, fuelled by a romantic and mournful cadence of French chanson mingling with more traditional microtonal Arabic modes and Maqam Hijaz scales in Drissi’s vocals, but also in the wah wah-licked quarter tone guitar which mirrors his voice and were introduced to the sound by Drissi and Kassem Atek from 1994. There are obvious parallels to be drawn with Omar Souleyman’s dabke Maqam in ‘Maak Probleme’, while the sultry sway of ‘Ala Jal Ouahda’, and expressive anguish of ‘Datli Laakli’, emphasised by tuff drum machine crack, are balanced by Drissi’s ribboning melodies that waver on hot air in the standout ‘Madanitch Lyame’.

The final two cuts depict the sound at its sexiest and most psychedelic; with the layered swirl of ‘Rani Ndal Nsâad Feli Rayha Clef’ recalling a more sensual analog to Islam Chipsy’s keyboard vamps, and ‘Mazal Galbi Tamaa’, weaving Arabesque geometries on the mind.