# Tamikrest

An iconic band of Saharan rock, Tamikrest was formed in 2006 in Tinzawaten, on the border between Algeria and Mali, around Ousmane Ag Mossa, Cheikh Ag Tiglia, and Aghaly Ag Mohamedine. Inspired by the musical heritage of Tinariwen and driven by the desire to amplify the oppressed voice of the Kel Tamasheq (Tuareg) people, the group quickly made its mark.
Their first two albums, Adagh (2010) and Toumastin (2011), already showcased a sharp sense of melody and songwriting.
The arrival of Paul Salvagnac for their third album, Chatma, reinforced the band's shift towards a more powerful rock sound. Dedicated to the struggles of women in the Sahara, the album was hailed by the specialized press as a major work of the Ishumar music genre. It was even awarded a Songlines Award for Best Album of the Year in 2013.
With Kidal (2017) and Tamotait (2020), Tamikrest has further asserted its deep roots in Tamasheq tradition, carried by the raw energy of rock. It is above all on stage that the band's psychedelic rock, blending hypnotic trance and melody, fully reveals its power.
After numerous tours across Europe, Africa, North and South America, Japan, South Korea, and Australia, Tamikrest has established itself as a major representative of African music and the international rock scene.

## Band history

When Tamikrest was founded in 2006, the musicians were all in their early twenties. They originate from the region around Kidal, a city in northern Mali. All of them visited the Les enfants de l'Adrar school in Tinzawaten, a small oasis in the middle of the desert, which was funded by European foundations. It was there that the future members of Tamikrest got their basic musical training. Their youth was shaped by the civil war that took place between 1990 and 1995. Many family members and friends died while the Tuareg fought for their autonomy. When new riots broke out in 2006, Ousmane Ag Mossa and his friend Cheick Ag Tiglia decided not to fight with weapons, but to call attention to the Tuareg's cause with musical means.
In their youth they played the traditional music of the Kel Tamasheq (as the Tuareg call themselves) and the songs of the Tuareg band Tinariwen, who already mixed African traditional music with western rock music in the eighties. Through the internet and mp3 culture, the Tamikrest members got to know bands and musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Pink Floyd and Mark Knopfler who influenced the shaping of the special Tamikrest sound as well.
A chance meeting with the American-Australian band Dirtmusic at the Festival au Désert in 2008, which took place in Essakane (about 50 miles west of Timbuktu), led to a friendship and musical cooperation. When Dirtmusic recorded their second album, BKO, in a studio in Bamako (the capital of Mali) in 2010, Tamikrest were invited to play on that album. Chris Eckman (member of Dirtmusic and The Walkabouts) also produced Adagh, Tamikrest's first album. In 2010, both bands toured Europe together and played festivals like Sziget and Orange Blossom Special, the latter organized by their label Glitterhouse Records. In October 2010, Chris Eckman produced Tamikrest's second album Toumastin, which was released in April 2011.

## Discography

* 2010 : Adagh (Glitterhouse Records)
* 2011 : Toumastin (Glitterhouse Records)
* 2013 : Chatma (Glitterbeat Records)
* 2015 : Taksera (Glitterbeat Records)
* 2017 : Kidal (Glitterbeat Records)
* 2020 : Tamotait (Glitterbeat Records)