[2] A typical song features mournful, Arabic/Berber vocals, set against an orchestral backdrop of a dozen musicians, with violins and mandolins swelling and falling to a piano melody and the clap of percussion beats.

Chaabi is part of a deeply conservative tradition and its lyrics often carrying a strong moral message.

[citation needed] At first Chaabi remained a scandalous genre, thriving behind closed doors or in specific locations called "Mahchachat" (cannabis dens),[3] where the admirer of this music would go to drink coffee, tea or smoke.

It took over seven years to make, facilitate and track the reunion of the Jewish and Muslim members of a chaabi group from colonial Algiers known as El Gusto.

[5] The best known chaabi singers are as follows: What distinguishes this Algerian Chaabi are the sounds and poems, which represent sad memories of times gone by, heart-warming and/or romantic emotions, time spent with friends, and other memories, set against a beautiful background of Algeria.