Tinariwen

Tinariwen
Tinariwen performing in Nuremberg, 2010
Tinariwen performing in Nuremberg, 2010
Background information
OriginTamanrasset, Algeria
Tessalit, Mali
Genres
Years active1979–present
LabelsIndependiente, EMMA Productions, Tribal Union, Wayward Records, Outside Music, World Village Records, Anti, Epitaph
Websitewww.tinariwen.com

Tinariwen (Tamasheq: ⵜⵏⵔⵓⵏ; with vowels ⵜⵉⵏⴰⵔⵉⵡⵉⵏ; plural of ténéré meaning "desert"[1]) is a collective of Tuareg musicians from the Sahara region of southern Algeria and of northern Mali, in the region of Azawad. Considered pioneers of desert blues, the group's guitar-driven style combines traditional Tuareg and African music with Western rock music. The collective first convened in the late 1970s and released their first studio album in the early 1990s. They began touring internationally in the early 2000s.

The group was founded by Ibrahim Ag Alhabib; he and bandmates Alhassane Ag Touhami and Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni have all been present since 1979.[2][3] Tinariwen first started to gain a following outside the Sahara region in 2001 with the release of the album The Radio Tisdas Sessions. Their most recent album Amatssou was released in 2023.

The group has been nominated for Grammy Awards three times, and their 2012 album Tassili won the award for Best World Music Album in 2012.[4] NPR calls the group "music's true rebels",[5] AllMusic deems the group's music "a grassroots voice of rebellion",[6] and Slate calls the group "rock 'n' roll rebels whose rebellion, for once, wasn't just metaphorical".[7]

  1. ^ Jeffrey Heath, Dictionnaire touareg du Mali: tamachek-anglais-français (KARTHALA Editions, 2006: ISBN 2-84586-785-9), p. 490; the root is nr.
  2. ^ "Saharan musicians win Uncut award". BBC News. 9 November 2009.
  3. ^ Pareles, Jon (5 July 2002). "Critic's notebook; A World That Sings Together". The New York Times.
  4. ^ "Tinariwen | Artist | Grammy.com". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Tinariwen: Music's True Rebels". National Public Radio. 10 November 2007.
  6. ^ Evan C. Gutierrez. "Tinariwen: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  7. ^ Jody Rosen (31 May 2007). "Enter Sandmen: Is Tinariwen the greatest band on earth?". Slate. Retrieved 8 April 2014.