Imarhan

Imarhan is a Kel Tamashek (Tuareg) band from southern Algeria that plays the form of music that originated in the Sahara region, known to the west as "desert blues". This is a style of music that was introduced to the world by musicians from Mali and Niger, going back to the legendary Ali Farka Touré, then in more recent years to acts like Tinariwen and Bombino. Imarhan's take on the genre tends to be relatively more subdued and ballad-like. They also play with some western accents, including a relatively subtle funky streak, but also with a more restrained approach relative to some of their peers such as Songhoy Blues. The core elements of the music are all there though, including the circular riffs on the guitar, almost always expressed in bare tones, the syncopated beats on the hand drums and the hand claps, the sunburned vocals, along with all the intangible desert feel.