Since Tinariwen emerged from their homeland in the southern Sahara desert back in 2001, they have achieved the kind of success that only a few African acts have equalled. They have sold over 80,000 copies of their two albums, ‘The Radio Tisdas Sessions’ and ‘Amassakoul’. They have toured the globe, playing at many prestigious festivals and sharing stages with Robert Plant, Carlos Santana, Taj Mahal and others. They have won awards and citations, including a prestigious BBC Radio 3 World Music Award. They have taken desert culture and the Tamashek guitar to the four corners of the globe. Now comes their third CD ‘Aman Iman’.‘Aman Iman’...Water is life
“Aman iman” is one of the best-known and best-loved Touareg sayings. Strictly speaking, it means “water is the soul” in Tamashek, the language of the Touareg, but it’s also widely translated as meaning “water is life”. It is often followed by the rejoinder “ach isoudar” which means “and milk is survival.” The saying underlines the fundamental importance of water to all life, and all prosperity, an importance which those living in water-rich lands tend to forget. But it also refers to water as a symbol of the soul, of inspiration, of all which defines the heart of man.The Making of ‘Aman Iman’
In February of this year, Tinariwen set off in a convoy of two Toyota Landcruisers to travel the 1,600 kilometres from their home in Kidal to the capital of Mali, Bamako. There they were joined by producer Justin Adams, engineer Ben Findlay and manager Andy Morgan. The group had already been busy rehearsing in a makeshift studio in Kidal, under the direction of Javier ‘Jaja’ Maillet, their live sound engineer and all-round ‘trainer’.In Bamako they went into the legendary Bogolan Studios and recorded over 23 tracks in about 10 days. The work-rate was as blistering as the midday heat, and the inspiration as intense as the bustle of downtown Bamako. The mainsinger, songwriters in the group Ibrahim ‘Abaraybone’ Hassan, ‘Le Lion du Desert’ and Abdallah ‘Catastrophe’ all made their contribution. The added presence of Mohammed ‘Japonais’, one of the Southern Sahara’s most renowned poets and guitarists, who had not worked with Tinariwen since 2002 was especially exciting. Justin and the group wanted to keep the sound live, raw and direct, faithful to its desert roots, but ‘epic’ and rich enough to seduce all-comers. After an unforgettable couple of weeks, Justin, Ben and Andy returned to the UK with the raw recordings. Justin and Ben mixed the album with help from Eyadou Ag Leche, Tinariwen’s bassist and Tim Oliver. Despite other commitments with Robert Plant’s Strange Sensation, Justin managed to finish the album in June 2006.Click here to view videoTinariwen
