IMARHAN — INTERFERENCE

For 15 years, Tuareg culture has fascinated the world. Their poetic, sacred chants inspire western songwriters like Kurt Vile and José González, while the virtuosity of their guitar playing captivates guitar heroes like Jimmy Page; finally, their spirituality and meditative hypnotism impress electronic music producers such as Four Tet.

In two albums, Imarhan has become an emblem of the new Tuareg generation, breathing fresh air into Assouf, the desert blues. While the majority of current Tuareg productions go into exile in the United States, the quintet led by Sadam remains rooted in their culture, their city, the capital of the Tuaregs with its open doors to the desert. By creating Aboogi, their studio in the heart of Tamanrasset and the Hoggar mountains, Imarhan acts as a spokesperson for the young Tuareg generation, largely forgotten by the region's governments.

With this third album, Aboogi, Imarhan plays with Tuareg rites and ancestry. By bringing together the legendary Japanese poet (recently deceased) and musician-storyteller Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, Imarhan aims to unite people. When they record with Welshman Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals, their brilliant and universal songwriting truly comes into its own. By inviting Sudanese singer Sulafa Elyas, it becomes clear that Imarhan is open to all of Africa, acting as defenders of the Tuaregs but above all as spokespeople for the new African generation.

It speaks of the connection to nature, oppression, lost youth, but also, and above all, of hope and struggle, set against sand-dusted guitar riffs, haunting backing vocals, and lyrics in the form of open-space poetry.