Tassili (album)
Encyclopedia
Tassili is the fifth album by the Tuareg-Berber band Tinariwen
recorded in Tassili n'Ajjer
, an Algeria
n national park. The album marked a major departure from previous recordings. It is their only album to be recorded outside a studio in major cities like Paris
and Bamako
, Mali
. The producer, Ian Brennan, stated that it "was the least overdubbed, most live, band-centric and song-oriented record they have done.”
. It was this protected region from which the group derived the album's name. The plateau served as an alternate location to record the album after Tessalit
, the band's home town in northern Mali
, proved to be too precarious due to renewed conflict.
The region's close proximity to Libya
made it a place of relative safe passage for Kel Tamashek fighters who traveled from the refugee camps in Libya to the battlefront of northern Mali during the 1980s and the Tuareg Rebellion during the early 1990s. It was during this time that the group's founding members first came to play together as political exiles in tents and around campfires of refugee settlements.
The rehearsals for and recording of the album was conducted in similar way to those original performances.
Tinariwen largely substituted their usual electric guitars for acoustic guitars and unamplified percussion to reflect their return to an older way of life. In contrast to the natural setting and acoustic sound was the hundreds of pounds of equipment that was transported to a canyon deep in the desert and run off a generator that was placed about 150 yards from the main tent to prevent noise pollution
.
that "Tinariwen is just about the best guitar-based rock band of the 21st century."
contributed to the fourth track, Ya Messinagh. Kyp Malone
and Tunde Adebimpe
from the American art rock
band, TV on the Radio
, traveled to the isolated recording site to contribute backing harmonies on five tracks and lead vocals one track. Malone and Adebimpe spent eight days with Tinariwen in Mali to record the album. They first met Tinariwen two years ago at the Coachella festival
in California
when the two bands were on the same bill. Nels Cline
, the guitarist from the American alternative rock
band Wilco
, played on the first track, Imidiwan Ma Tenam.
Tinariwen
Tinariwen is a band of Tuareg-Berber musicians from the Sahara Desert region of northern Mali. The band was formed around 1979 in refugee camps in Libya but returned to Mali after a cease-fire in the 1990s...
recorded in Tassili n'Ajjer
Tassili n'Ajjer
Tassili n'Ajjer is a mountain range in the Algerian section of the Sahara Desert. It is a vast plateau in south-east Algeria at the borders of Libya, Niger and Mali, covering an area of 72,000 sq...
, an Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n national park. The album marked a major departure from previous recordings. It is their only album to be recorded outside a studio in major cities like Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Bamako
Bamako
Bamako is the capital of Mali and its largest city with a population of 1.8 million . Currently, it is estimated to be the fastest growing city in Africa and sixth fastest in the world...
, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
. The producer, Ian Brennan, stated that it "was the least overdubbed, most live, band-centric and song-oriented record they have done.”
Recording sessions
The album was recorded during a three-week session in the rocky desert near Djanet, a town on the southern rim of the Tassili n'Ajjer plateau located in south-eastern AlgeriaAlgeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. It was this protected region from which the group derived the album's name. The plateau served as an alternate location to record the album after Tessalit
Tessalit
Tessalit is a city in Mali's Kidal Region. The town is both a Commune and the capital of Tessalit Cercle . As of 1998 the commune had a total population of 2,533....
, the band's home town in northern Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, proved to be too precarious due to renewed conflict.
The region's close proximity to Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
made it a place of relative safe passage for Kel Tamashek fighters who traveled from the refugee camps in Libya to the battlefront of northern Mali during the 1980s and the Tuareg Rebellion during the early 1990s. It was during this time that the group's founding members first came to play together as political exiles in tents and around campfires of refugee settlements.
The rehearsals for and recording of the album was conducted in similar way to those original performances.
Tinariwen largely substituted their usual electric guitars for acoustic guitars and unamplified percussion to reflect their return to an older way of life. In contrast to the natural setting and acoustic sound was the hundreds of pounds of equipment that was transported to a canyon deep in the desert and run off a generator that was placed about 150 yards from the main tent to prevent noise pollution
Noise pollution
Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life...
.
Reception
Bob Boilen stated in a review of Tassili for NPR MusicNPR Music
NPR Music launched in November 2007 to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for music discovery. The Web site is a project of National Public Radio, a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to 797...
that "Tinariwen is just about the best guitar-based rock band of the 21st century."
Track listing
Personnel
Two members of the Dirty Dozen Brass BandDirty Dozen Brass Band
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is a New Orleans, Louisiana, brass band. The ensemble was established in 1977 by Benny Jones together with members of the Tornado Brass Band...
contributed to the fourth track, Ya Messinagh. Kyp Malone
Kyp Malone
David Kyp Joel Malone is a multi-instrumentalist and member of the bands TV on the Radio and Iran.Malone formed Iran with film director/singer/songwriter Aaron Aites in the year 2000...
and Tunde Adebimpe
Tunde Adebimpe
Babatunde Omoroga "Tunde" Adebimpe is an American musician, actor, and director best known as the lead singer of the Brooklyn-based band TV on the Radio. His vocal method often involves improvisation, the use of effects and repeating sampled loops....
from the American art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
band, TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio is an American art rock band formed in 2001 in Brooklyn, New York, whose music spans numerous diverse genres, from post-punk to electro and free jazz to soul music....
, traveled to the isolated recording site to contribute backing harmonies on five tracks and lead vocals one track. Malone and Adebimpe spent eight days with Tinariwen in Mali to record the album. They first met Tinariwen two years ago at the Coachella festival
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
when the two bands were on the same bill. Nels Cline
Nels Cline
Nels Cline is an American guitarist and composer, currently the lead guitarist of alternative rock band Wilco. David Carr of the New York Times describes Cline as "one of the best guitarists in any genre."-Career:...
, the guitarist from the American alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
, played on the first track, Imidiwan Ma Tenam.
External links
- New York Times slideshow
- Desert sessions - A video documentary about the recording of Tassili on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Original Tuareg lyrics and English translation on the official Tinariwen website
- Performance of Imidiwan Ma Tenam on the Colbert Report
- Official Tenere Taqqim Tossam music video on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Tenere Taqqim Tossam on SoundCloudSoundCloudSoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform which allows collaboration, promotion and distribution of audio recordings.-History:SoundCloud was originally started in Stockholm, Sweden, but was established in Berlin, Germany in August, 2007 by sound designer Alex Ljung and artist Eric Wahlforss...