Southern Algerian blues band Imarhan has been making waves locally for a few years now, but this year’s self-titled debut album clearly brought their global breakthrough.
And deservedly so. Their splendid music seems direct and culturally unequivocal, with characteristic Tuareg rhythms and the guitar sound we’re used to associate with this part of African continent. But at the same time, it escapes easy categorizations, giving us a completely new taste of what “Tuareg music” may sound like.
Right now, the band is in the middle of their extensive European tour, with shows in Germany, UK, Belgium, Norway and Spain still ahead of them. Whether you’ll be able to see them live or not, be sure to check out “Imarhan” LP in its entirety, and here’s the most recent video, a mellow ballad called “Tarha Tadagh”.
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