Tinariwen: Desert Blues From Sahara

 

Tinariwen (Tamasheq language: Meaning "desert") is a collective of Tuareg musicians from the Sahara region of southern Algeria and of northern Mali, in the region of Azawad. Tinariwen are a

critically acclaimed Saharan Tuareg group who perform a guitar-centric branch of Malian music known as "Tishoumaren," a percussive, rock-oriented desert blues that often addresses social and political issues. Emerging out of the refugee and rebel camps of Algeria and Libya, the collective built a regional audience throughout the 1980s and returned to Mali in the '90s; they eventually earned global recognition with their first internationally released album, 2001's The Radio Tisdas Sessions.
                 

Considered pioneers of desert blues, the group's guitar-driven style combines traditional Tuareg and African music with Western rock music. The collective first convened in the late 1970s and

released their first studio album in the early 1990s. In the ensuing years, Tinariwen became a highly touted international touring act playing major festivals like WOMAD, Glastonbury, and Coachella and winning a Grammy Award for their 2011 album Tassili, on which they collaborated with various Western musicians. The group continued to release innovative new music throughout the decade, including 2019's Amadjar.
                         

The group was founded by Ibrahim Ag Alhabib; he and bandmates Alhassane Ag Touhami and Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni have all been present since 1979. Formed in 1979 by Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, a

Malian refugee, Tinariwen coalesced in the early '80s in the Libyan rebel camps of Colonel Gaddafi, as each of the musicians had been forced from their nomadic lifestyle into involuntary military service. Surrounded by a displaced nation of their peers, the band forged a new style of music, trading their traditional lutes and shepherd's flutes for electric guitars and drums. The style that resulted was dubbed "Tishoumaren," or "the music of the unemployed." Their music addresses issues such as political awakening, problems of exile, repression of their people, and demands of sovereignty.
                

Tinariwen's sound is primarily guitar-driven, in the style known as assouf among the Tuareg people. The group's guitar style has its roots in West African music and other traditional styles practiced by the Tuareg and Berber peoples, and has often been characterized as "desert blues". Tinariwen was also

influenced by traditional Malian musicians, most notably Ali Farka Touré, and regional pop singers like Rabah Driassa. While the Tinariwen style is possibly a distant relative of blues music, via West African music, members of Tinariwen claim to have never heard actual American blues music until they began to travel internationally in the early 2000s. Tinariwen was also influenced by American and British rock acts whose bootlegged albums had made it to the Sahara region, such as Dire Straits, Santana, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, and Jimi Hendrix. Their most recent album Amatssou was released in 2023.
                 

In a region with no postal or telephone system, Tinariwen's tapes soon became a grassroots voice of

rebellion and a rallying point for the disenfranchised nation. Tinariwen has been named as a formative influence on a growing Tuareg rock scene, made up of younger musicians who were not rebels like the members of Tinariwen but have experienced their region's recent struggles with poverty and terrorism.
                    

Another amazing Tuareg band is Tamikrest, an iconic band of Saharan rock, Tamikrest was

formed in 2006 in Tinzawaten, on the border between Algeria and Mali, around Ousmane Ag Mossa, Cheikh Ag Tiglia, and Aghaly Ag Mohamedine. Inspired by the musical heritage of Tinariwen and driven by the desire to amplify the oppressed voice of the Kel Tamasheq (Tuareg) people, the group quickly made its mark.

(Tamikrest on Urban Aspirines HERE:)

                    

1. TINARIWEN - AMAN - IMAN - WATER IS LIFE 2001

               

Hand it to Tinariwen. Like the nomads they are, they don't stand still musically. On their third album (the title translates as Water Is Life), they keep the root intact, the desert blues still at the heart of all they do,  happily restless and unafraid of walking down new paths. The guitars, locked together in

rhythm and lead, create a glorious syncopated noise that puts most rockers to shame. But there's a wonderful looseness to the sound (kudos to producer Justin Adams), in part due to the fact that these tracks were all recorded over just two weeks, a tiny time frame by today's standards. Recorded in the Malian capital of Bamako, these songs arrive with dust on their boots and a little thirsty. The studio touches are subtle, a little on the effects here and there, but never detract from the music -- which even features old member Mohammed Ag Itlale, whose voice and guitar can be heard on several tracks.
                    

Tinariwen – Aman Iman: Water Is Life
Label: Independiente – FM022, Filter Music (2) – FM022, Shock (2) – FM022
Format: CD, Album, Digipak
Country: Australia & New Zealand
Released: 2006
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Blues Rock, Desert Rock, Ethnic

TRACKS

                     

01. Cler Achel    4:25
02. Mano Dayak    5:41
03. Matadjem Yinmixan    5:43
04. Ahimana    5:43
05. Soixante Trois    4:56
06. Toumast    4:25
07. Imidiwan Winakalin    4:25
08. Awa Didjen    4:11
09. Ikyadarh Dim    3:35
10. Tamatant Tilay    3:19
11. Assouf    3:56
12. Izarharh Ténéré    5:02

LINE - UP

Acoustic Guitar – Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni (tracks: 8, 9), Justin Adams (tracks: 3), Mohammed Ag Itlale (tracks: 9, 12)
Backing Vocals – Hamid Ekawel (tracks: 2)
Backing Vocals, Handclaps – Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, Alhassane Ag Touhami, Kesa Walet Hamid, Wonou Walet Sidati
Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals, Handclaps – Eyadou Ag Leche
Castanets [Krakesh], Congas, Shekere – Salah Dawson Miller (tracks: 10)
Djembe, Hihat [Hi-hat], Calabash, Handclaps, Backing Vocals – Said Ag Ayad
Drum [Guellal], Goblet Drum [Darbouka], Shekere – Salah Dawson Miller (tracks: 1)
Guitar [Background Guitars] – Justin Adams (tracks: 1, 11)
Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar – Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni (tracks: 2, 6), Alhassane Ag Touhami (tracks: 10), Ibrahim Ag Alhabib (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12), Mohammed Ag Itlale 'Japonais' (tracks: 4, 8)
Lute [Teherdant Lute] – Justin Adams (tracks: 2)
Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals – Abdallah Ag Lamida 'Intidao'
Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals, Handclaps – Elaga Ag Hamid
Voice [Youyous] – Mama Livio (tracks: 1 to 3, 7), Manaki Diallo (tracks: 1 to 3, 7)
Words By, Music By – Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni (tracks: 2, 6), Alhassane Ag Touhami (tracks: 10), Ibrahim Ag Alhabib (tracks: 1, 9, 12), Ibrahim Ag Alhabib Aka 'Abaraybone' (tracks: 3, 5, 7, 11), Mohammed Ag Itlale Aka 'Japonais' (tracks: 4, 8)

 

MANO DAYAK LYRICS
                 

[INTRO]
I come from a tenere well used to sandstorms
I take my rest under the shadeless Anna et Tadjart bushes
I have never seen enough trees to make a forest
My home is the Tamesna white, naked and empty
It affords pasture to neither goat nor cow
It is the land of the young camel, who wanders after its mother

[1st VERSE / Chorus]
I come to a tenere which lies to the north of Bouss
A desert which is totally naked
Without a single tree, or even a twig
And when men travel there, it's always hot

[Chorus]

[2nd VERSE]
Now I've seen something that fills me with joy
A Tamashek who's living well
And comunicating through a satellite phone
Tied to the tree under which he rests
The buds fall all around him
All of that is thanks to Mano Dayak

MATADJEM YINMIXAN LYRICS

Why all this hate between you which you teach your children
The world looks at you and surpasses your understanding
You who resemble neither a westerner nor an Arab
Your faith in the tribes blinds you to the truth
Even if God were to send a blessing down for you to share
With a friend, they will only betray your confidence

Flac Size: 339 MB

2 - TINARIWEN - IMIDIWAN COMPANIONS 2009

                  

Sometimes in music, the teacher learns some valuable things from the student. In the United States, traditional African music played an essential role in the development of what came to be called the

blues -- and many years later, American blues artists returned the favor by influencing artists in various parts of Africa. The blues have certainly had a major impact on Tinariwen, a group from the Sahara region. Tinariwen's music has a strong blues element, a strong Malian element, and a strong Middle Eastern/Arabic element; that combination of influences yields compelling results for the group, which favors a combination of acoustic and electric instruments.
               

Tinariwen – Imidiwan: Companions
Label: Independiente – 23339-9051-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: Canada
Released: Oct 13, 2009
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Electric Blues, Folk, African

TRACKS

                   

01. Imidiwan Afrik Temdam    3:30
02. Lulla    3:47
03. Tenhert    5:26
04. Enseqi Ehad Didagh    5:38
05. Tahult In    4:08
06. Tamodjerazt Assis    4:49
07. Intitlayaghen    4:47
08. Imazeghen N Adagh    3:44
09. Tenalle Chegret    5:41
10. Kel Tamashek    3:14
11. Assuf Ag Assuf    4:51
12. Chabiba    3:20
13. Ere Tasfata Adounia    4:53
14. Desert Wind    4:20

LINE - UP

Backing Vocals [Adult Backing Vocals] – Alhassane Ag Touhami aka 'Le Lion', Aroun, Elaga Ag Hamid, Mohammed Ag Itlale aka 'Japonais', Sanou Ag Ahmed
Backing Vocals – Eyadou Ag Leche, Sanou Ag Ahmed
Backing Vocals [Kids' Backing Vocals] – Al Hassan, Fatimata, Ousman
Backing Vocals – Abdallah Ag Lamida aka 'Intidao', Eyadou Ag Leche, Sanou Ag Ahmed
Bass – Eyadou Ag Leche
Guitar [Guitars] – Abdallah Ag Lamida aka 'Intidao', Elaga Ag Hamid, Liya Ag Ablil aka 'Diara'
Lead Guitar, Vocals – Ibrahim Ag Alhabib
Percussion – Fatma, Matthieu Rousseau, Mohammed, Said Ag Ayad, Sanou Ag Ahmed
Percussion – Eyadou Ag Leche, Matthieu Rousseau, Mohammed
Lead Vocals, Guitar – Ibrahim Ag Alhabib
Backing Vocals [Female Backing Vocals] – Fatma, Wonou Walet Sidati
Backing Vocals [Male Backing Vocals] – Abdallah Ag Lamida aka 'Intidao', Eyadou Ag Leche
Guitar [Guitars] – Eyadou Ag Leche
Lead Vocals, Guitar – Alhassane Ag Touhami aka 'Le Lion'

IMIDIWAN AFRIK TEMDAM LYRICS

               

My friends from all over Africa
I have a question, a question which torments my soul
Companions
Is the revolution like those trees
Whose branches will grow if we water them?

I have lived with this obsession for ten years
I have come amongst brothers
My friends, what do you think?

These men have been living with oppression
Since the day of their birth
They cannot make the trees grow with their water

Flac Size: 368 MB

3 - TINARIWEN - TASSILI (2 CD LIMITED EDITION) 2011

                 

That sound comes out of a nation that exists between the harsh Sahara and the lush African savannah to the south, but it has less in common with other Malian musicians because the band is nomadic, never staying in one place for long. Tassili, named for the region of the Algerian desert they cut the record in,

is Tinariwen's Anti label debut. It is similar, at least structurally, to its predecessors. Tinariwen play their trademark, labyrinthine music on acoustic guitars this time -- a back to basics development in itself. Conversely, they've allowed trusted producers Ian Brennan and Jean Paul Romann some liberties in letting Western musicians participate on some cuts. Opener "Imidiwan Ma Tennam" commences much as their music has in the past, with the guitars and lead vocals of Ibrahim Ag Alhabib to lead his bandmates in a snakey weave of handclaps, chants, and secondary guitars to follow his own.
                

Tinariwen – Tassili
Label:V2 – VVR776938, Cooperative Music – VVR776938
Format:2 x CD, Album, Limited Edition
Country:Europe
Released:Aug 15, 2011
Genre:Rock, Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style:Blues Rock, African

CD1.

       

01. Imidiwan Ma Tennam   4:41
Guitar – Nels Cline
02. Assuf D Alwa   4:14
Vocals – Kyp Malone
03. Tenere Taqhim Tossam   4:15
Guitar – Kyp Malone
Lead Vocals – Eyadou Ag Leche
Vocals – Tunde Adebimpe
04. Ya Messinagh   5:31
Horns – The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
05. Walla Illa   4:55
Guitar – Kyp Malone
Vocals – Tunde Adebimpe
06. Tameyawt   4:39
07. Imidiwan Win Sahara   3:45
Vocals – Tunde Adebimpe
08. Tamiditin Tan Ufrawan       3:04
09. Tiliaden Osamnat   3:26
10. Djeredjere   4:38
11. Iswegh Attay   4:56
Guitar, Vocals – Kyp Malone
Vocals – Aroune Ag Alhabib
12. Takest Tamidaret   4:56
Guitar, Lead Vocals – Abdellah Ag Alhousseyni

Flac Size: 342 MB

CD2.

                    

01. Djegh Ishilan    3:49
02. El Huria Telitwar   4:31
Guitar, Lead Vocals – Alhassane Ag Touhami
Written-By – Touhami Ag Alhassane
03. Kud Edazamin    3:24
04. Nak Ezzaragh Tinariwen    2:31

Flac Size: 96.7 MB

LINE - UP

Backing Vocals, Handclaps – Alhassane Ag Touhami
Guitar – Aroune Ag Alhabib
Guitar, Bass, Percussion, Handclaps, Backing Vocals – Eyadou Ag Leche
Guitar, Handclaps, Backing Vocals – Elaga Ag Hamid
Guitar, Lead Vocals – Ibrahim Ag Alhabib
Handclaps, Backing Vocals – Mustapha Ag Ahmed
Percussion, Handclaps, Backing Vocals – Mohamad Ag Tahada, Said Ag Ayad

NOTES

Recorded November 1-20 2010, outdoors, in Tassili's N'Ajjer's dessert, South Algeria

4 - TINARIWEN - ELDWAN 2017

                   

Captured in France, Morocco, and California, Elwan is a work of subtle power, relying less on the atmospheric grace of its predecessors and focusing on the distilled, fine-tuned engine of Tinariwen's percussive core. Overall, the album's production is more immediate and, with its tasteful contingent of rock-oriented guests like Kurt Vile, Mark Lanegan, Alain Johannes, and Matt Sweeney, the

arrangements still remain spare and effective. On the slowly unfurling "Ténéré Tàqqàl," gently snaking riffs belie the tension of the lyrics, which make reference to uprisings, both human and animal. On "Imidiwàn N-Àkall-In," a track full of quietly roiling tension, bandleader Ibrahim Ag Alhabib sings "My own people have abandoned their ancestral ways, all that's left is a groaning land full of old people and children." While there is certainly bitterness throughout Elwan's 13 tracks, there is hope, love, and motivation, too.
                

Tinariwen – Elwan
Label: Anti- – 87467-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2017
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: African, Ethnic

TRACKS

                    

01. Tiwàyyen   3:43
Electric Guitar – Eyadou Ag Leche
02. Sastanàqqàm    3:23
03. Nizzagh Ijbal    3:39
04. Hayati    3:22
05. Ittus    3:45
06. Ténéré Tàqqàl   4:25
Electric Guitar – Eyadou Ag Leche
07. Imidiwàn N-àkall-In    3:32
08. Talyat    4:13
09. Assàwt    3:39
10. Arhegh Ad Annàgh    2:46
11. Nànnuflày    5:05
12. Intro Flute Fog Edaghan    1:27
13. Fog Edaghàn    3:07

LINE - UP

Bass, Vocals [Background], Handclaps – Eyadou Ag Leche
Djembe, Handclaps, Backing Vocals [Background] – Said Ag Ayad
Electric Guitar – Iyad Moussa Ben Abderahmane (tracks: 1, 4, 8, 11), Kurt Vile (tracks: 1, 11), Matt Sweeney (tracks: 1, 8)
Guitar [Cigarbox] – Alain Johannes (tracks: 8)
Guitar, Vocals [Background], Handclaps – Elaga Ag Hamid
Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar – Ibrahim Ag Alhabib (tracks: 1, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11)
Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar, Vocals [Background], Handclaps – Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni (tracks: 2, 3, 8, 9), Alhassane Ag Touhami (tracks: 5)
Other [Instrument - You-You] – Mina Wallet Oumar (tracks: 1, 7)
Other [Tape Delay Tricks] – Maxime Kosinetz
Percussion [Additional] – Amar Chaoui
Vocals – Mark Lanegan (tracks: 11)

Flac Size: 279 MB

5 - TINARIWEN - AMADJAR 2019

                     

Reconnecting with the nomadic nature of their Tuareg heritage, desert blues collective Tinariwen roll out their field-recorded eighth album, Amadjar. A tumultuous history of exile and an improbable rise to international fame are the long-tenured Malian band's most consistent narratives as they continue to

attract devotees from the Western world while remaining politically unwelcome in their own country. In October 2018, after the touring cycle for their previous album, Elwan, found them wrapping up at a nomadic culture festival in the Moroccan Sahara, the group set out on a road trip down the northwestern portion of Africa. Their ultimate destination was Nouakchott, the coastal capital of Mauritania, but as the trip unfolded, they began writing and recording parts of new songs in open-air sessions around their various nightly camps.
          

Tinariwen – Amadjar
Label: Wedge – 87703-2, Anti- – 87703-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2019
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Electric Blues, African

TRACKS

            

       
01. Tenere Maloulat    3:43
02. Zawal    4:04
03. Amalouna    4:01
04. Taqkal Tarha    3:59
05. Anina    3:44
06. Madjam Mahikamen    3:47
07. Takount    3:11
08. Iklam Dglour    4:35
09. Kel Tinawen    3:57
10. Itous Ohar    4:19
11. Mhadjar Yassouf Idjan    4:22
12. Wartilla    5:36
13. Lalla    4:56

LINE - UP

Acoustic Guitar – Eyadou Ag Leche (tracks: 9)
Backing Vocals [Background Vocals] – Aicha (tracks: 1, 4 to 6, 9 to 11), Lala* (tracks: 1, 4 to 6, 9 to 11)
Bass – Eyadou Ag Leche
Djembe, Calabash [Calebasse], Percussion [Derbuka] – Said Ag Ayad
Electric Guitar – Eyadou Ag Leche (tracks: 4)
Guitar [Guitars] – Elaga Ag Hamid
Handclaps [Claps], Backing Vocals [Background Vocals] – Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, Alhassane Ag Touhami, Elaga Ag Hamid, Eyadou Ag Leche, Said Ag Ayad
Lead Guitar – Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni (tracks: 2, 5, 7, 12, 13), Alhassane Ag Touhami (tracks: 6), Ibrahim Ag Alhabib (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 6, 8 to 10)
Lead Vocals – Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, Alhassane Ag Touhami (tracks: 6), Ibrahim Ag Alhabib
Percussion [Additional Percussion] – Amar Chaoui
Rhythm Guitar [Acoustic Rhythm Guitar] – Said Ag Ayad (tracks: 9, 11)

Flac Size: 323 MB