The Sahara’s coolest rock band

54th Grammy Award Winner (2012)

"Dusty, wild and wonderful." Mojo

"It is music of longing and rebellion, weary wisdom and restless energy, and it sounds so, so good." Pitchfork

"This kind of music is like a breath, that I can feel. It's the discovery of new sounds, new harmonies." Bono (U2)

"One of the most distinctive, extraordinary and irresistible sounds in modern music..." The Sunday Times (UK)

From the depths of the Sahara desert comes the band that is rocking music festival stages today with its infectious guitar rhythms, haunting vocals and distinct sound that capture the history and geography of North Africa.

Formed in 1979 by legendary guitarist and singer Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, this band of Tuareg nomads-turned-rock musicians forged their music in exile from their homeland of Mali, resulting in songs that sing of the longing for lost homes and families, the struggle for political and cultural freedom, and the rigours of everyday life in the desert.

With their music fast becoming the soundtrack for a whole generation of exiled Touareg youth, Tinariwen has won worldwide recognition, bagging the BBC World Music Award in 2005 and a Grammy Award (Best World Music Alubm - Tassili) in 2012, gaining fans and collaborators such as Robert Plant, Bono and Carlos Santana.

 

"When I hear [Tinariwen] I hear the beginning of the music of the Mississippi and of Muddy Waters, Jeff Beck, BB King, Little Walter, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy...this is where it all comes from, they are the originators." Carlos Santana

Photo Credits

Marie Planeille