The Tamikrest, one of the most important bands that combine traditional African music with modern rock sound, are coming to Greece for the first time for two concerts in Athens (Friday 8/2, Fuzz Live Music Club) and Thessaloniki (Saturday 9/2, Gaia Live).

Following the paths set by, earlier than them, Tinariwen, Tamikrests honor their Tuareg origins (in the Tamashek language, in which they sing, their name means "bond", "alliance", "knot") only they preferred, in a particularly turbulent period for their people, put the Kalashnikovs aside and grab the electric guitars.

It helped in that direction, with no doubt, and their subsequent acquaintance and collaboration with Dirtmusic, the group formed by three great musicians: ο Chris Eckman (The Walkabouts), o Hugo Race (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Wreckery) and Chris Brokaw (Come, Codeine).

The main composer and leader of the band, Ousmane Ag Mossa, he listened to a lot of music from a young age, although his childhood - like that of the other members of the band - was marked by the civil war (1990-95) which focused on the Tuareg claim to autonomy. They have seen many relatives and friends get lost within this time and 2006, when new riots broke out, decided to use other means to gather the eyes of the world on the struggle of their people.

All young in age (near 20), combined the sounds they had, mainly via the internet, from names like Bob Marley, The Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix and Dire Straits, with their own distinct musical tradition, attracting the interest of Dirtmusic, on a trip of the latter to their area.

It was the 2008, in the rural community of Essakane (80 kilometers from Timbuktu), where the Festival Au Desert took place. A magical sound pulled Eckman and his entourage into an awning where Tamikrest was improvising. A unique experience for everyone followed, when the interaction of, coming from different cultures and traditions, musicians evolved into one… three-day psychedelic glazing, which gave a different and completely essential essence to the concept of desert, before ending up with a monumental joint appearance on the main stage of the festival!

It was there that a strong friendship began that led the Dirtmusic to invite them to the capital of Mali where the latter were recording their excellent second album, “BKO”.

Tamikrest gave a new tone with their participation, offering a stunning version of Velvet Underground “All Tomorrow’s Parties”. When it came time for their first personal job, Chris Eckman was there again, producing the wonderful "Adagh", the debut of Tamikrest released in 2010 on behalf of the famous Glitterhouse Records, introducing their magic to the rest of the world.

Hypnotic traditional rhythms, psychedelic wah wah guitars, transcendental vocals reminiscent of chants, accompanied by keys or a solo violin, in a quirky mix that can be identified as touareg blues.

A year later, they also recorded their second album, Toumastin, in the same company and with the same rates, distracting audiences and critics around the world with the natural consequence of touring, mainly in Europe, and participation in major festivals. Nevertheless, as Eckman characteristically states, "Wherever they travel, they carry the desert inside them ”, while Tinariwen manager - and world music guru - Andrew Morgan calls them "the future of Tuareg music."

The same, first of all, they believe they are fighting for a better world, both for their people and for those who suffer from problems similar to those that plague their people.

"We must all recognize that we belong to a community and a culture, and this is exactly our strength in the eyes of others. First of all, we have to take care of them ourselves because otherwise no one else is going to do it. It is our duty to maintain our identity, to constantly claim our basic rights, both locally and internationally, and above all to emphasize our right to self-determination, without which it will be very difficult to deal with all the problems we face.

Touareg youth can not remain indifferent and indifferent the moment we become strangers in our own land, through the sale of many of our sites to multinational companies without our consent.
The same goes for the global community, who must not be deaf in the face of the possibility of extinction of people like us. The Touareg want to live free in their lands and see this form of colonization that has prevailed here finally come to an end. 50 years, that is, in brief, for too long now. ”

Source : culturenow.gr