If there is a record that epitomizes the contemporary Parisian Algerian music scene, this has to be it. With "Made in Medina", the music of the Magreb meets Paris club as driving guitar riffs, a trance setting oud, Steve Hillage's (Khaled, Gong, System 7, Robin Hitchcock and Simple Minds) state of the art production, and Taha's evocative vocals collide in a landmark production. Born in Oran, Algeria in 1958, Taha grew up in a large Algerian working class community in Lyon, where he began experimenting as a DJ before forming his own band. Over the past decade, Taha has risen to the top of the competitive Parisian Arabic music scene with groundbreaking politically charged albums from his "Carte de Sejour" (Green Card) band, as well as the legendary "1-2-3 Soleils" concert and recording (the critically acclaimed mega celebration of Rai in Paris whose live recording topped the European pop charts in 1999). With "Made in Medina", Taha pushes Magreb's boundaries even further. With guests such as Nigeria's Femi Kuti and Morocco's B'net Marrakesh, Taha takes world fusion to an art form. "Ala Jalkoum", a melancholy duet with Afrobeat star Kuti weaves its way between Arabic, French pop and Afrobeat worlds with an eerie tone reminiscent of Peter Gabriel's "So". Another standout is "Foqt Foqt", a hard driving modern North African track where Hillage's electric guitar mimics the Arabic oud as a bass layer to the trance setting vocals of the all female Moroccan chorus, B'net Marrakesh. "Made in Medina" is destined to be a Parisian club classic that defies categorization. -Dan Rosenberg