HAMSI Boubeker – MUSIC
PRESS RELEASE
SPECIAL – INFORMATION
Following the failure of the New York-based company Frederiksberg Records LLC (Vingaard) to comply with its contractual obligations, and upon the recommendation of HAMSI Boubeker’s legal counsel, the artist has requested that platforms suspend the download and exploitation of the album Le Chant des profondeurs.
This precautionary measure aims to safeguard the artist’s full rights, pending
the album’s re-release under his own control.
As of now, two albums are once again available on all platforms.
The artist has personally overseen the re-release of Le Chant des profondeurs and has taken this opportunity to also make available the album HAMSI Boubeker chante les Berbères de Kabylie.
Two Iconic Albums – Available on All Platforms
- HAMSI Boubeker chante les Berbères de Kabylie – 1982
- Le Chant des profondeurs – 1988
Recorded in Brussels, these two World Music albums mark the early musical explorations of HAMSI Boubeker. They offer a unique dialogue between Kabyle Berber tradition and influences from world music — Irish, Breton, and jazz — revealing a musical language that is both deeply rooted and distinctly open.
HAMSI Boubeker – An Oeuvre Between Music, Memory and Commitment
A key figure in the Brussels artistic scene, of Kabyle origin (Algeria), HAMSI Boubeker has, for over four decades, developed a singular and profoundly humanist body of work at the crossroads of cultures and disciplines.
Inherently multidisciplinary, his artistic journey is shaped by a constant dialogue between memory, creation, and transmission, where each form of expression enriches and extends the others.
A Musical Work with International Reach
According to data from SABAM, in 2022, HAMSI Boubeker’s musical works crossed borders extensively, being broadcast in numerous countries worldwide, including the Netherlands, Algeria, Hungary, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Norway, Finland, Portugal, Cyprus, Vietnam, Romania, the Czech Republic, Austria, as well as the United States.
On digital platforms, in 2025, his song “Pot Pourri” confirms this growing enthusiasm, with over 1.4 million views on TikTok, reflecting increasing international interest in his musical universe.
Foundational Musical Roots
Before establishing himself in the field of visual arts, music was the artist’s primary mode of expression.
Trained at the conservatory of Béjaïa and later in Algiers, HAMSI Boubeker developed an early vocal style that is both sensitive and deeply expressive.
Between 1979 and 1988, he recorded several major works, including Le Chant des profondeurs (1988), a landmark piece proposing an original dialogue between Kabyle Berber tradition and world music influences.
As early as 1976, he performed with his choir in France (Choralies of Vaison-la-Romaine), and later in England at the Leicester Festival (Europa Cantat).
Having settled in Belgium in 1978, he performed in numerous concerts in Brussels (Botanique, Ancienne Belgique, Forest National), throughout Wallonia, and in festivals in Ghent, Bruges, and Ostend.
In 1982, out of solidarity, he gave numerous concerts as part of anti-nuclear, anti-racist, and peace movements.
Between 1983 and 1984, he formed a new group with musicians of diverse origins, renewing his musical approach while preserving its Kabyle authenticity. He performed in Belgium, France, Germany (Moussem Festival in Düsseldorf), the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
In 1989, he composed the music for the documentary KATEB Yacine, L’Amour et la révolution, produced by the C.B.A.
Discography
- Si tu veux la paix prépare l’enfance, booklet / 45 rpm – for UNICEF, 1988, Belgium
- AFUS DEG FUS, cassette – Azwaw, 1978, France
- Ad-Yidir, 45 rpm – Azwaw, 1978, France
- CCNAN-UZEMUR, 45 rpm – Azwaw, 1978, France
- HAMSI Boubeker chante les Berbères de Kabylie, LP – Self-produced, Belgium
- Contes berbères de Kabylie – MEDIA ANIMATION, 1992, Belgium
- Le Chant des profondeurs, LP – Self-produced, 1995, Belgium
- Houria, 45 rpm – Algeria
- TameƔra dit gurarin, cassette – Éditions berbères, France
- M’rahba, compilation – Dutch Radio, Netherlands
- Contes kabyles de mon enfance, CD (French version) – Cordon Musical asbl, 2014, Belgium
- Le Chant des profondeurs – international distribution by Frederiksberg Records LLC (New York), 2022
A Committed Music
For HAMSI, artistic creation is inseparable from humanist commitment.
Throughout his career, he has participated in numerous cultural and solidarity initiatives, expressing a universalist vision summarized in his own words:
“My songs are weapons that bring life.”
From Music to Painting – A Plural Imprint
A multidisciplinary Brussels-based artist of Kabyle origin, HAMSI Boubeker has, since the late 1980s, developed a distinctive pictorial body of work.
His paintings—luminous, vibrant, and warm—draw their inspiration from the living memory of Kabylie. They depict scenes rich in emotion and authenticity, celebrating transmission, tradition, and the dignity of popular cultures.
Institutional Recognition
Based in Brussels since 1980, HAMSI Boubeker actively contributes to the promotion of Kabyle and Mediterranean cultures.
In 1999, he was commissioned to design the decoration of the Lemonnier premetro station.
This station underwent a major renovation in 2009 in the presence of several ministers.
That same year, he was awarded the rank of Officer of the Order of the Crown by the Kingdom of Belgium, in recognition of his entire artistic work and humanitarian commitment.
Les Mains de l’Espoir – A Universal Artistic Project
At the heart of his work, the project Les Mains de l’Espoir embodies a participatory and international artistic vision.
Information
Artist: HAMSI Boubeker
Disciplines: Painting, music, writing, storytelling
Base: Brussels, Belgium
Availability: Albums available on all platforms
Press Contact
Email: info@hamsi.be
Phone: +32 (0) 473 28 46 64
Website: www.hamsi.be
