GLITTERBEAT
The term desert rock has unjustly become associated with white dudes from America playing tweaked blues rock, but Tamikrest are a band that truly define the term. The collection of Tuareg musicians, led by Ousmane Ag Mossa, not only hail from the Sahara Desert, but their music wholly embodies the tonalities we’ve come to expect from it. Twisting guitar lines unravel, sometimes subtly, sometimes fiercely, weaving between Hendrix-esque rock, psychedelia and local traditional Tuareg music – marrying Eastern and Western traditions with deft grace. You’d need to speak the language to pick up on the deeply political lyrics that reflect the difficulties their community has been through, but the seamless guitar licks, locked grooves and often explosive rock is a universal connection to be found.