Band of the Week: Tinariwen :: Features Music :: Articles

Hometown: Kidal, Mali
Fun Fact: Tinariwen recently helped establish Taghreft Tinariwen, a non-profit organization with the mission of promoting and preserving Touareg culture and the development of the southern Sahara.
Why It’s Worth Watching: The band's music has the same roots as American blues, and its social/political impact on its tribal culture’s identity is profound.
For Fans Of: John Lee Hooker, Ali Farke Toure, Bob Marley

Tinariwen is a guitar army from the Saharan sands of northeastern Mali. Its rebel music represents the struggles of the borderless, nomadic Touareg people—droughts, repressions, rebellions and inter-tribal strife. Tinariwen’s music rocks with a verve that speaks to the present and a lyrical spirit that hints at a better future.

The history of the Touareg people is a sprawling one. Their nomadic lifestyle and pre-Islamist, animist spiritual traditions have been repressed in Mali in recent centuries by French occupiers and later by Mali’s post-colonial government. Further back in time, Touareg culture had similar struggles with the Roman and Greek empires. The power of Touareg history is palpable in Tinariwen’s music.

Tinariwen’s sound is underpinned by drum and handclapping polyrhythms imbedded with the 4/4 signature kick of traditional rock 'n' roll. Trancey, interlocking guitar lines (produced by up to six guitars) carry the spirit of centuries-old North African pentatonic melodies. Modern electric guitar effects (wah-wah pedals, distortion boxes and digital echo) add sonic hints of classic rock, dub reggae and post-punk.

Founded in the late '70s by Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, Tinariwen's mission of sorts was to give voice to Alhabib and those like them; namely, those who were inspired to make music with the decidedly non-traditional electric guitar after hearing Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Santana. The band evolved over the years from a desert collective that spread music amongst its tribe through the Saharan cassette grapevine to a potent globetrotting ensemble.

Tinariwen released Aman Iman (Water is Life) early in 2007, and just completed a North American tour. American audiences have embraced the group's music, and with good reason. “People are extremely open to our sound”, Tinariwen guitarist/vocalist Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni explains. “I think in America, which is the birthplace of the blues, our music strikes a special chord of recognition in people. It's like a meeting of musical cousins who haven't seen each other for centuries.”

Although it may be tempting for many Westerners to compare the nomadic Touareg lifestyle of Tinariwen's home environment to that of a touring band, Abdallah is quick to shoot down this superficial parallel. “There's nothing that's really similar, to be honest,” he says. “In the desert, the nomad lives with his family and his animals. It's a very quiet, very stable and very anchored existence, even though it involves quite a lot of movement. Touring in a group is all about living in noisy cities and moving fast from place to place, never resting in one place, always moving, traveling, changing.”

Although its a tiring schedule, the current cast of Tinariwen pushes forward in the name of cultural enlightenment.

“It's an exhausting life that can't last for very long. We do it because we love performing and we love showing what Touareg culture is. But, we need to go back to the desert on a regular basis. That's where we recharge our batteries, and where we feel most comfortable and happy.”

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