In December 2022, UNESCO announced it was placing Raï, a popular folk song from Algeria, onto its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. DJ Snake’s video “Disco Maghreb” played a decisive role in this astounding achievement.

UNESCO even acknowledged the film stating: “…in the early 2000s, Raï struggled for its place… this year it saw a new breath of life with the phenomenal success of Franco-Algerian DJ Snake’s “Disco Maghreb”.

Receiving 126million+ YouTube views, the video is a cross-cultural unifier bridging the Arab World and the West, inspired by the iconic Algerian record label and shop of the same name.

Raï's cultural origins stem back to the 1920s in the Algerian harbour city of Oran. Young Algerians mixed Arabic poetry and traditional folk music with western flavours. Similar to the blues or punk, the downtrodden found solace in Raï songs, which often speak of escape through protest or sheer hedonism.

Award-winning DJ Snake, who has collaborated with Selena Gomez, Kanye West, Lady Gaga and Travis Scott, wanted to return to his roots with “Disco Maghreb”.

The brief of the film was to return to pay homage to the Oran music label Disco Maghreb and also to update 1980s Algerian music, to mirror the theme of the track.

The film’s objective was to bridge generations and backgrounds, connecting North Africa, the Arab World and beyond. DJ Snake, born in Paris to a French father and an Algerian mother, describes the film as “a love letter to my people”.

The Director describes “Disco Maghreb” as a pop tribute to Algeria - a crazy travel diary of explosive and intimate moments. The film’s image of ‘the postcard of the future’, refers to the Director’s seamless connection of frenetic snapshots of age-old customs, present-day celebrations and DJ Snake’s charismatic performance.

The strategy is clear, rather than present a standard music video promoting a new track, the vision of “Disco Maghreb” is much more ambitious: to bring generations of people from different backgrounds together to celebrate the old glories of Raï and the new electro-Arab sound of DJ Snake.

UNESCO elevated Raï to the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, which helped in profile raising and community building.

Raï music is at the heart of “Disco Maghreb”. The title refers to the Oran-based record company and shop of the same name, run by the legendary Boualem Benhaoua. So the creative idea was to take the viewer to the heart of Raï: into Benhaoua's cassette shop for a voyage oscillating between tradition and modernity, like the music genre itself.

The film begins with Disco Maghreb’s Benhaoua pressing play on a cassette machine, and DJ Snake’s energetic track begins. Next - a trip to a lively wedding, aerial views of rocky desert, a camel race and a highway with carefree young Algerians doing acrobatics on mopeds.

Uniting these explosive moments? Progressively everyone ends up dancing like crazy. This is the spirit of Raï.

The film closes with DJ Snake in Algiers' symbolic Bab El Oued neighbourhood, improvising Algerian dance moves to the celebrated sound of ‘King of Raï’ Cheb Khaled.

“Disco Maghreb” is a pop tribute to Algeria of yesterday, today, tomorrow. The Franco-Algerian Director shot the video in Oran and Algiers, including in Climat de France, the working-class area known for its rich cultural history.

Shots are filmed in a realistic style, with the action revolving around the stages of the large wedding scene: the preparation, the procession, the bride and groom, the banquet. From this, the filming extends to the desert and the seaside neighbourhoods of Ghardaii and Bab El Oued, to mountain peasants and a cabaret tour in Oran.

Ultimately, the video sets out to show "the madness and the explosiveness of a completely insane and authentic Algeria” says the Director.

DJ Snake’s intention was "to capture the angst and desire for freedom manifested by a hyperconnected generation of young women and men from the Middle East, North Africa and everywhere else”.

Little did he know that ”Disco Maghreb” would make history, becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Launched in May 2022, Disco Maghreb’s objective of being a unifying visual and musical work was met within days. The video reached 23+ million views on YouTube in two weeks of uploading, and received 126+ million views in just over 10 months since its release. Actor Omar Sy and singer Elli Medeiros shared it on their social media.

In December 2022 UNESCO announced on Twitter that "Raï, popular folk song of #Algeria” would join its #IntangibleHeritage List, identifying “Disco Maghreb” as a key reason. It also picked up Best Music Video Gold Award at the 1.4 Awards, and was nominated for UKMVA Best Dance/Electronic Video.

Folk music which blends influences from rural and urban genres, Raï originated in 1920s Algeria emerging from Oran. With its rhythms of Arabic music combined with Gnawa, Flamenco and French Cabaret, it was an outlet for social and political protest including colonial oppression. The word Raï translates as “opinion”.

Suppressed after Algeria’s independence in 1962, Raï resurfaced in 1979 with Western Pop music influences; possibly playing a role in igniting Algerian anti-government protests in the 1980s. International exposure grew, including Cheb Mami appearing on Sting’s 1999 single Desert Rose. In the 1990s, escalating tension of an Islamist anti-Raï campaign caused Raï musicians to relocate from Algeria to France.

Today, DJ Snake’s “Disco Maghreb” has resurrected this powerful Algerian music genre, introducing it to new generations worldwide, influencing UNESCO to place it on its Intangible Heritage List, given to a practice considered to be part of a place's cultural heritage.