Ever since their cassettes became the soundtrack of the Tuareg rebellion in the ‘90s, Tinariwen have acted as a symbol for Kel Tamasheq culture (Tuareg). Founded in the ‘80s by Ibrahim ag Alhabib, Hassas ah Touhami and the late Intayden ag Ablil, Tinariwen is less so a fixed group and more like a family - one whose members come and go. Their music, which accompanies profound and nostalgic lyrics, combines traditional melodies with Arabian influences and rhythms, all of which are drawn from the same roots as American blues-rock.
It was Lo'Jo, a French group from Angers (which is twinned with the capital city of Mali), who first introduced Tinariwen to the West. They produced their first album with the help of Justin Adams, an English guitarist who has previously collaborated with Robert Plant and who makes up half of the Juju duo. Their hypnotic guitar riffs and languorous songs quickly caught the attention of the rock aristocracy, both past and present.
Tinariwen have collected prestigious fans ever since the beginning of their international career and have occasionally been joined by the likes of Robert Plant and Carlos Santana on stage. Thom Yorke, the singer from Radiohead, admitted that he was inspired by them when he wrote his solo album The Eraser, and Damon Albarn (from Blur and Gorillaz) invited them to his Africa Express concerts several times. Each album opened up opportunities for transcontinental dialogues. Their Grammy-award winning acoustic album Tassili (2011) featured Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone from TV On The Radio, the guitarist from Wilco, Nels Cline and the New Orleans-based Dirty Dozen Brass Band. On their 2014 album Emmaar, the group was joined by Josh Klinghoffer from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack White’s band members, the multi-instrumentalist Fats Kaplin and the sound engineer Vance Powell. Following that, in 2017 the group collaborated with Kurt Vile and Mark Lanegan on their eighth album Elwan.
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