SHUBBAK FESTIVAL: Rachid Taha + Souad Massi

Algerian singer Taha, the utter dude responsible for the Arabic-language version of The Clash's 'Rock the Casbah', kicks off London's annual festival of Arab art and culture with his gently introspective songwriting countryman Massi. Taha, who's prized for his confrontational energy and globe-trotting sound, mixes everything from techno to rai to electro-goth to dub, and his new album 'Zoom' pays tribute to Egyptian diva Umm Kulthum and Elvis. Meanwhile the sweet-voiced Massi draws on the languid melancholy of Portuguese fado as well as the Maghrebi genre of sha'bi.