"Bahdja" sprang from the encounter between the breathing of Manuel Hermia and the horsehair of Kheireddine M'kachiche, accompanied here by their respective accomplices. On the confines of melodies, harmonies, rhythms and shared sensibilities, this album crosses borders to remind us that music is universal.

An improviser, composer and globetrotter of world music, Manuel Hermia has multiplied musical encounters with the Orient. His project «Le murmure de l'Orient /The Murmur of the Orient» (published in 2 volumes on the Igloo-Mondo label) offered music nourished by both the ragas of India, Arab maqams and all the cultures of the Orient. He can also be found playing with the trio of the Moroccan oud/guembre player Majid Bekkas as well as Mamady Keita (djembé, Guinea), Purbayan Chatterjee (sitar, India), Dhruba Ghosh (sarangi, India), Manou Gallo (bass, Ivory Coast) and Guo Gan (erhu, China).

His album «Bahdja» unveils a new encounter, that of the Algerian violinist Kheireddine Mkachiche, master of Arabic-Andalusian music and noted for his openness (L.Subramaniam, Dhafer Youssef, Nguyên Lê, Jon Hassell), a tradition he keeps alive by playing with Manuel Hermia.