Echoes of dub, blues, psychedelica, funk and even art rock are seamlessly interwoven with their view of Tuareg’s musical tradition. Tamikrest means ‘crossroads’ in the lanuage of Kel Tamashek, a traditional nomadic population in the Sahara, better known as the Tuaregs. It’s a suitable name for a band that succesfully mixes the values of their timeless culture with the sounds and visions they discovered along the way, on one of their journeys inbetween their concerts.
But anyone who knows the history of Tamikrest knows that it cannot just be a celebration: the repertoire covers equally intense and compelling songs in which grief resounds through their hometown of Kidal, which has been plagued by war, persecution and political collapse. The most recent album that was released March 2017 has been given the same title and ‘Kidal’ is a tribute to it’s historic home. Occasionally oppressive, at times wonderfully dreamy, but always wonderful.