Kel Tinariwen
Wedge (36 mins)
You know Tinariwen. Hypnotic Tuareg assouf music from bluesy electric guitars, slithering out of amps encrusted with Saharan sand, and accompanied by a gravelly chorus, ululations, djembé and handclaps. Kel Tinariwen isn’t that – at least, not quite. The group were already veterans of their own style by the time of their first international release in 2001, with several tapes floating around Sahelian markets before that. This was their first, recorded in Abidjan in 1991, and now finally dug from the archives and masterfully restored.
Kel Tinariwen is clearly a pop record. Each song is filled with programmed drums, keyboards of the cheesiest variety (including synthesized sitar, choir and xylophone) and very 80s reverb. The bare-bones aesthetic of assouf is replaced with reggae lilts and Latin rhythms. However, aside from an uncharacteristic guitar-less opener (with slightly questionable vocals from producer Keltoum Sennhauser), the classic Tinariwen sound remains unmistakeable, with haunting melodies and some excellent guitar moments.
I can’t argue that these tracks are as musically scintillating as the band’s later recordings, but as a cultural artefact, this album is certainly a fascinating and curious document. And with at least one other Tinariwen ‘pop’ tape bouncing around the internet, perhaps there are more discoveries to be made from this legendary band.