Archyde Profiles Tinariwen

“Tinariwen’s musical style is quite modern and transcultural,” writes Archyde in a recent exploration of the Tuareg group. “Translated,” the piece explains, “Tinariwen means ‘deserts’ – spaces that are of central importance for the band: as concrete, physical places in which their members grew up, live and sometimes also record their music. At the same time, deserts symbolize the cultural identity of the musicians as members of the Tuareg. Including the conflicts and problems that this partly still nomadic ethnic group faces in the region between Mali, Algeria, Niger, Libya and Burkina Faso. Tinariwen has always placed the themes of home, political resistance and cultural self-empowerment in the foreground of her work.” Read all about the group here.

Tinariwen’s Amadjar was a huge hit last year, sitting at #1 on the NACC World chart for more than two months, and it’s still going strong. This week, it jumped back into the Top 10, hitting #7. If you haven’t checked out Amadjar, get it from our DL page and onto your airwaves!