Tinariwen – Idrache (Traces Of The Past) (CD)

Here are a dozen hidden gems from the Sahara. Rough-hewn but intimate and beautiful recordings by Tinariwen, the world’s most famous Tuareg band. With their long desert robes and Tuareg turbans or shesh, Tinariwen are the originators of what’s become known as ‘desert blues’, a style of music they themselves call ‘assuf’, which also means ‘longing’ or ‘homesickness’ in the Tamasheq language. The songs on this album were recorded in 2002, 2006 and 2008, the first about a decade after the band started to become known internationally. Some are demos that were later released in more produced versions on subsequent albums and some of them have never been released before. CD in printed 4-pp card gatefold with 20-page booklet insert.