Tinariwen have announced details of the release of a new album, the band’s ninth, Amadjar, on Wedge / PIAS on Friday 6th September 2019.
The story of Amadjar begins at the end of October 2018, at the Taragalte Festival of nomadic cultures in the Moroccan Sahara. Following their appearance Tinariwen hit the road and head for Mauritania, via southern Morocco, Western Sahara and the Atlantic coast, to hook up with the singer Noura Mint Seymali and set up and record their new album there.
Accompanied by their French production team, who arrive in old camper van that’s been converted into a makeshift studio, the journey to Nouakchott, capital of Mauritania, takes a dozen days or so. Every evening, the caravan stopped to set up camp and the members of Tinariwen got to work under the stars to prepare for the recording, talking things through, letting their guitar motifs, thoughts and long buried songs come.
Then, during a final two-week camp in the desert around Nouakchott, the band, joined by The Mauritanian griotte Noura Mint Seymali and her guitarist husband, Jeiche Ould Chigaly, recorded their songs under large tent in a few live takes, without headphones or effects.
Once recorded, a host of Western musicians added instrumentation including violin from Warren Elllis of the Bad Seeds, mandolin and charango courtesy of Micah Nelson (son of the country music giant Willie Nelson, and Neil Young’s guitarist), and guitars from Stephen O’Malley (Sunn O)))), Cass McCombs and Rodolphe Burger.
This nomadic album, recorded in a natural setting, is as close as you can get to the ‘soul’ of Tinariwen, a group of musicians, that in every sense, exist far-beyond their 17-year existence and extensive discography of critically acclaimed albums.
Lyrically and thematically the album explores the continuing political, social, humanitarian and environmental problems faced in their home-country of Mali and continues Tinariwen’s pursuit to highlight the plight and issues of their people through their music.
The album is an eloquent and moving work, specifically highlighting the on-going obstacles faced by their own Tuareg community as a consequence of everything from the collapse of infrastructure and public services, through climate change and the ongoing political and military conflict that has dogged the country since it gained independence in 1960.
Finally, Tinariwen return to the U.K. and Europe later this year for a headline tour alongside a number of festival appearances over the summer. They also head to the U.S. in September and October for an extensive headline tour. The full list of European and U.K. shows is as follows:
19.06.19 – Paradiso – AMSTERDAM
21.06.19 – ESSAOURIA, MOROCCO
26.06.19 – Plissken Festival – ATHENS
28.06.19 – Klub Studio – KRAKOW
29.06.19 – Progesja – WARSAW
01.07.19 – Dance Festival – MONS
02.07.19 – Tri-p Festival – MILAN
03.07.19 – Villa Ada – ROME
13.07.19 – Belgrave Music Hall – LEEDS
14.07.19 – Citadel Festival – LONDON
16.07.19 – Galway Festival – GALWAY
16.10.19 – Le Figuier Blanc – ARGENTEUIL
17.10.19 – Theatre De Cornouailles – QUIMPER
19.10.19 – La Barakason – NANTES
20.10.19 – La Sirene – LA ROCHELLE
22.10.19 – Big Band Café – HEROUILLE (CAEN)
23.10.19 – Casino De Paris – PARIS
25.10.19 – Hall de Paris Place Recollets -MOISSAC
24.10.19 – La Radiant – LYON
26.10.19 – Trix – ANTWERP
27.10.19 – Het Depot – LOUVEN
28.10.19 – Amager Bio – COPENHAGEN
29.10.19 – Aarhus Train – AARHUS
30.10.19 – Zhaak – DUSSELDORF
31.10.19 – Festsaal Kreuzberg – BERLIN
02.11.19 – Cosmopolite – OSLO
03.11.19 – Goteborgs Symfoniker – GOTHENBURG
04.11.19 – Slaktkyrkan – STOCKHOLM
10.11.19 – Les Docks – LAUSANNE
11.11.19 – Olympia – DUBLIN
12.11.19 – Trinity – BRISTOL
13.11.19 – Manchester Cathedral – MANCHESTER
14.11.19 – EaRTH – LONDON
Tony Duckworth + NMR (foto: press)
