Born the 26th of October 1956 in Aïn Azel near the Algerian city of Sétif, Nordine Staïfi, real name Larbi Smati, was very young when he emigrated to the French Chambéry region. After having recorded 'Sraoui' style songs, his real devotion as a singer took place in 1978 when publishing the song 'El Ghorba S'hiba', a disco version of a traditional East-Algerian piece. This song would revolutionize the modern Algerian music, and made Nordine one of its most important protagonists of the 1980s. For nearly ten years he dedicated himself to the modernization of his music, traversed by the themes of exile, love and the nostalgia of his country. Nordine Staïfi died prematurely on December 17th 1989 in France, at the age of 33.