clotaire k

Clotaire K has succeeded in creating the alchemy between hip hop & traditional oriental music. Polyglot ambassador of true musical, linguistic and cultural interbreeding, Clotaire has one foot in Beirut and another in Manhattan or London.

Of Lebanese and Egyptian origins, he lives in the south of France. During his frequent stays in Beirut, his elders’ country, he got passionate for «tarab » the true traditional music from the Middle-East that he’s associated to the hip hop he’s absorbed from his trips to the USA at a time when these breakbeat sounds were still difficult to find in France. Back in 1996, Clotaire was the first artist to start mixing Middle-Eastern melodies and hip hop beats. The resulting sound unites the dance appeal from this western sound and the deep emotion emanating from the oriental song and sounds.

His music takes physical shape and meaning on stage with his band made up of rappers, DJs, musicians and dancer. They’ve started opening for other artists like Asian Dub Foundation, Natacha Atlas, and Cypress Hill who dig Clotaire’s sound and with whom he’s also collaborated. Since 1997 he and his band have been touring intensively and performed in main European venues and festivals.

Clotaire K is a special artist, of a new generation which gives itself the means of its independence, while seeking perfection. Indeed, not only he composes, writes and produces his music, but he also controls and takes care of the various elements related to his artistic development.

And though he’s a totally independent artist, his multiple skills brought to him excellent results.
Radios and press feature his music all around the planet (John Peel has certainly been the one to play each Clotaire’s track one by one, along his programmes), his website www.clotairek.com has reached its 100.000 visitors, he’s performed in front of 250.000 people on the Larzac for the gathering against WTO as well as in front 100.000 people in Mexico city’s main square (Plaza de La Constitucion), has been nominated for the EMMA Music Awards broadcasted on the BBC 2, has recently won a BBC Award, etc...

With the album “Lebanese” being lauded by hip-hop and world music critics alike, Clotaire has started taking his mesmerising live show all over the world. These last couple of years he’s been mainly touring Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.
He’s now heading towards new territories and is currently working on new material.