Cheb i Sabbah was a DJ and composer/producer known for combining Asian, Arabian, and African sounds into his compositions. Sabbah was of Jewish and Berber descent. He was born in Algeria and came from a family of musicians. When he was a teenager, Sabbah moved to Paris and, in 1964, began his career DJing American soul music records. In 1984, he settled as a DJ in San Francisco. In 1989 he began using the stage name "Cheb i Sabbah", which translates to "young of the morning". He has seven recordings on the Six Degrees Records label.
Sabbah's performances included live musicians, dancers and massive projected visuals, backing up his electronic music. He was nominated for the BBC's 2006 Award for World Music in the Club Global category.
His song "Toura Toura: Nav Deep Remix" was featured in soundtrack of FIFA 08 as well as Cricket 07.
Sabbah was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer in May 2011.
He died on November 6, 2013, in San Francisco.