Khaira Arby Live For the Tiny Desk

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I’ve been listening to the new live Khaira Arby album and I’ll tell you what: I’m a fan.

So here’s her 2011 Tiny Desk set for NPR.

If you’re not yet familiar with her, Khaira Arby is something known as “The Nightingale of Timbuktu,” while NPR calls her “the queen of desert rock.” Whatever you call her, her musical influence cannot be denied.

According to Wikipedia, “She began singing at a young age for weddings and traditional festivals, and at the age of eleven, began singing in a musical troupe from the city of Timbuktu.” Even after facing family pressure from her father and husband to abandon music, Arby persisted. And we are thankful.

Setlist:

  1. Salou

  2. Cinquantenaire

  3. Goumou

Mdou Moctar: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert (2021)

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Tuareg wunderkind Mdou Moctar performs (at home) for the NPR Tiny Desk and this is my love language.

Setlist:

  1. Ya Habibti

  2. Tala Tannam

  3. Afrique Victime

Players:

  • Mahamadou "Mdou Moctar" Souleymane: lead guitar, vocals

  • Ahmoudou Madassane: rhythm guitar, vocals

  • Mikey Coltun: bass

  • Souleymane Ibrahim: calabash

Important People:

  • Video: Mamadou Halidou, WH Moustapha, Sabrina Nichols

  • Audio: Mikey Coltun, Seth Manchester

  • Special Thanks: Dynamique Image and Machines with Magnets

Tiny Desk People:

  • Producer: Bob Boilen

  • Video Producer: Kara Frame

  • Audio Mastering: Josh Rogosin

  • Associate Producer: Bobby Carter

  • Tiny Production Team: Maia Stern, Gabrielle Pierre

  • Executive Producer: Keith Jenkins

  • Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann

Tamikrest Live In Japan with Oki

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Wowee Zowee! Musical worlds colliding!

Just the other day I featured three songs from Japan’s Oki Ainu Dub Band.

Then, back in March 2020, I featured a live version Tuareg rock group’s Tamikrest song “Itous” as the lead-off track to an introductory mix of Tuareg guitar music.

Now, here is Oki sitting in with Tamikrest in Japan!

The Facebook post by Sahara Eliki simply says:

“Tamikrest live in Japan with Oki　　　＠月見ル君想フ


"Pan kudasai" , en japonais, du pain s'il vous plait”

If you know further context or are aware of other videos, please let me know.

  • Visit my previous post about Oki Ainu Dub Band

  • Listen to or download my Tuareg guitar mix



  • Visit the official website.

  • Follow Oki Dub Ainu Band at Facebook.

  • Purchase Oki Dub Ainu Band’s music at Amazon.

  • Hear "マナウレラ - Matnaw Rera" by Oki Dub Ainu Band on Episode 06 of the Global Elite Music Radio Podcast Supershow.



  • Visit Tamikrest’s official website

  • Follow Tamikrest on Facebook

  • Purchase Tamikrest’s music at Bandcamp

  • Purchase Tamikrest’s music at Amazon

Tuareg Guitar: Welcome To Saharan Desert Rock

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I have made my love of Tuareg Guitar music known to you, dear friends. So the following mix should come as no surprise. As if any of you are waiting around to be surprised by the music mixes I post. But, hey, you go have your own weird daydreams, alright?!

The Sahel Sounds Records Tuareg Guitar page says:

“Tuareg guitar has become one of the most popular folk music in the contemporary Sahara. Originally political ballads, created in exile in Libya, today the sound has expanded to encompass everything from introspective love songs, blistering psychedelic rock, and synthesizer and drum machine. At its core, the music still relies on poetry to transmit a message, carried by the pentatonic solos of a guitar.”

Here is a mix of songs from some of my current favorite Tuareg albums.

Tracklisting:

  1. “Itous” (Live) by Tamikrest

  2. “Nar djenetbouba” by Tinariwen

  3. “Wiwasharnine” by Mdou Moctar

  4. “Idrach” by Timasniwen

  5. “Afous Dafous” by Tartit

  6. “Ici Bas” by Songhoy Blues

  7. “ASCO” by Ali Farka Touré

  8. “Chebiba” by Tallawit Timbouctou

  9. “Imigradan” by Les Filles de Illighadad

  10. “Alemin” by Group Inerane

  11. “Tenere” by Afous d'Afous

  12. “Tekana” by Etran Finatawa

  13. “Dounia” by Toumast

  14. "Amidinin Senta Aneflas” by Terakaft

  15. “Tamudre” by Imarhan

  16. “Ameji (douleur)” by Imaran

  17. Tumastin by Amanar

  • Browse other Holiday at the Sea playlists.

Sahel Sounds presents "Music from Saharan WhatsApp"

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The Sahel region of northwestern Africa, spans several countries including: Mauritania, Mali, and Niger, and includes dozens of languages and dialects. This region produces some of my favorite music in the world (browse my posts tagged “Tuareg”). And one of my favorite labels putting out some of my favorite music is Sahel Sounds.

Pitchfork says that at least part of the reason label owner Christopher Kirkley chose to work in the Sahel region was “in part because it was so hard to find English-language information about it.” The label’s website says:

“We work directly with artists that we represent and aim to have input and control over artistic endeavors. All profits are shared 50/50. We’re committed to using culture as a means of communication, helping our artists build careers, and listening to good music.”

Preview the trailer for 2016 German trailer about the label (which is available to watch at Amazon Prime):

In 2010, the label put out the terrific and fascinating Music From Saharan Cellphones compilation. The compilation’s Bandcamp page provides some context:

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“Music from Saharan cellphones is a compilation of music collected from memory cards of cellular phones in the Saharan desert.

In much of West Africa, cellphones are are used as all purpose multimedia devices. In lieu of personal computers and high speed internet, the knockoff cellphones house portable music collections, playback songs on tinny built in speakers, and swap files in a very literal peer to peer Bluetooth wireless transfer.”

The compilation not only helped highlight music from the region but was, for many, the first exposure to Tuareg guitar wizard Mdou Moctar, whose album Ilana (The Creator) was one of my favorites of 2019. Now, 10 years later, the label presents the follow-up to the ground-breaking compilation, Music from Saharan WhatsApp.

“For the year of 2020, Sahel Sounds presents "Music from Saharan WhatsApp." Every month, we'll be releasing an EP from a musical group in the Sahel. Every album will be recorded on a cellphone, and transmitted over WhatsApp, and uploaded to Bandcamp - where it will live for one month only. Available for pay as you want, 100% of the sales will go directly to the artist or group. After one month, the album will be replaced by another one, until the end of the year.”

The label profiles the first installment at the Bandcamp page:

“This month's release comes from Agadez guitar band, Etran de L'Aïr. Translated to "Star's of Agadez," Etran is one of the longest running wedding bands in a city renowned for guitar. Constantly playing in the outdoor weddings, both in the city and the surrounding countryside, Etran play exhaustive concerts, late into the night. Even for a guitar band, they push the instrument to the extreme, with three guitars playing simultaneously, soloing over one another, creating a dreamy cacophony of sound. This session was recorded at night in their home in Abala, just outside the center of Agadez. "We invited friends over to the home, for encouragement," says Moussa "Abindi" Ibra. "But we asked them not to make too much noise, for the sake of the recording."

Preview the first EP here:

Head over to the Bandcamp page to download the first installment and track future releases.

  • Follow Sahel Sounds at Facebook.

  • Follow Sahel Sounds at Twitter.

  • Follow Sahel Sounds at Youtube.

  • Support Sahel Sounds at Bandcamp.

  • Browse “Sahel Sounds” at Amazon.