Critics were convinced immediately of the intense and compelling music with intertwined guitar patterns and pulsing rhythms, where genres as psychedelic, funk and art rock are interwoven with the musical tradition of Toeareg: kicking you from your chair in the kind of way you can call them ‘sultans of swing’ rightfully.
But the ones who know the history of Tamikrest, also know it isn’t only one big party: the repertoire contains intense and compelling songs where you can hear the sadness about their city of birth Kidal that is plagued by war, prosecutions and political collapsing. The most recent album which was released in March 2017 got the same name. Kidal is a tribute to their historic hometown. Oppressive at the one moment, dreamy on the other and always filled with beauty.
