Kandoom

Kandoom formed in Montreal with Ahmed Mouici on vocals, Samir El Haddad on bass, Francis Mineau on guitar, and Karim Saidi on drums. Their music often mixed French, Arabic, and English in the same songs, which gave them a particular sound that didn't fit neatly into existing categories.

Songs like "Do You Speak English?" and "Gauche" became known for this multilingual approach. The group's first album came out in 1995, followed by another called "El Gusto" in 1998. They kept working with the same four members through those early releases.

Their material sometimes sparked conversation about language and identity, though they mostly just kept making the kind of music they wanted to make. The songs have titles like "As Falhas de Sempre" and "CDFzinho de Merda," which continue that pattern of shifting between languages without much explanation.