Abdelli was born in Mechta Behalil, a
hamlet in the
Great Kabylie,
Algeria, during the
Algerian War of Independence. His family was displaced by the bombing of their village, Kennour, part of the
Tizi Ouzou Province, by the French airforce. After the war, Abdelli's family settled in the coastal town of
Dellys. As a boy, Abdelli constructed his first guitar out of an empty oil can, a plank of wood and fishing line. After learning to play the guitar, He was introduced to the
mandol by
Chaabi master, Chaïd Moh-Esguir. He won several contests in
Algeria for amateur singers. Abdelli produced his first album in 1984, but it saw little success. Two years later, he released an album that sold 12,000 copies, but never received payment from his record company Abdelli produced a couple of albums in Algeria, but moved to
Belgium in 1984. It was there "he met producer Thierry Van Roy, who was so fascinated with Abdelli's music that he spent two years exploring the roots of the Berbers' musical tradition at the University of Algiers." and
Among Brothers He has performed at major festivals in Europe, including
WOMAD and the
0110 concert in Ghent. In addition to Europe he has toured in England, the US and Canada. ==Influences==