{"id":1889,"date":"2015-06-16T11:49:36","date_gmt":"2015-06-16T10:49:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eyeplug.net\/magazine\/?p=1889"},"modified":"2011-05-22T12:32:06","modified_gmt":"2011-05-22T12:32:06","slug":"tamikrest-community-in-common-ground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/tamikrest-community-in-common-ground\/","title":{"rendered":"Tamikrest – Community In Common Ground"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following the path trodden out of the Saharan deserts by fellow\u00a0Touareg musicians Tinariwen<\/strong>, come Tamikrest. The word \u2018Tamikrest\u2019 means\u00a0\u2018junction\u2019, \u2018alliance\u2019 and \u2018future\u2019. Tamikrest are\u00a0ambassadors of Touareg culture, deeply rooted in its tradition,\u00a0representing its youth, fighting for international recognition of the\u00a0plight of their people. Their recordings have found the most unlikely\u00a0of homes in Glitterhouse Records of Germany, traditionally considered\u00a0the European home of all things alt-country\/Americana. Their debut\u00a0long-player, Adagh<\/em>,\u00a0 has already transcended the\u00a0group’s association with Tinariwen in the pretty much the same way the\u00a0Stooges outgrew the tag of \u2018baby brother band\u2019 given them by John\u00a0Sinclair and the MC5 to establish their group as the paradigm rebel\u00a0rockers of any genre currently operating on the planet today. April\u00a02011 saw the release of Tamikrest’s sophomore long player,\u00a0Toumastin<\/em> (Glitterhouse), an expansion and refinement of their\u00a0signature sound, and an essential purchase for anyone who still\u00a0believes that music can affect change. Tamikrest play the UK later\u00a0this summer in support of Toumastin<\/em>, they promise to be some of the\u00a0most vibrant, engaging and inspirational performances happening on\u00a0these shores this year.<\/p>\n

EYEPLUG were recently lucky enough to get the\u00a0chance to quiz Tamikrest about the development of their career thus\u00a0far, this is what they had to say:<\/p>\n

EYEPLUG: Firstly, may I wish you all a hearty welcome to the pages of\u00a0EYEPLUG.\u00a0 Secondly, before we discuss your music, I thought it\u00a0would be beneficial to add some background for our readers on the\u00a0struggle faced on a daily basis by your people. On your website, the\u00a0following message appears as a mission statement: \u2018The Touareg demand\u00a0that the injustice of which they are all victims ceases forthwith,\u00a0that what is ours by right be restored to us, that\u2019s to say, our lands\u00a0and the power to determine our own destiny. The Touareg want to live\u00a0in freedom in their homeland and end of this form of<\/em><\/strong> colonisation<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0which has prevailed since fifty years, in other words, for far too\u00a0long.\u2019 Would you be kind enough to expand on that statement for\u00a0us?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamikrest: At the time of African independence, our territory was divided and spread over five countries: Mali, Niger, Algeria, Burkina Faso and Libya. The recognition of our people has been banned, our community found itself marginalized and deprived of its territory. Since then, we have never ceased to demand the recognition of our rights and our ancient traditional culture.<\/p>\n

Since decolonization, the Malian government has oppressed the community of Kel Tamashek, poisoning wells, mass killing in nomad camps, etc. There were massacres in our community. During the first revolution in 1963, Tuaregs were killed in a blood-bath. The youth of that time (in Mali, Niger) were forced to flee to Libya for military training and return to liberate our people. A second rebellion broke out against the central powers in Mali and Niger in the late 1980s. Peace agreements were signed in the early 1990s. The agreements were signed but 90% of the agreements were not implemented. The consequence of all this was the third rebellion of 2006. Peace accords were signed on 4 July 2006, in Algiers we still await their implementation.<\/p>\n

<\/em>EYEPLUG: Tamikrest came of age in January 2008, at the Festival Au Desert, during a mammoth jam session with Dirtmusic \u2013 what are\u00a0your memories of that genesis?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamikrest: Tamikrest was founded in 2006. In 2008 we had an invitation to the Festival Au Desert. There we met Dirtmusic; we became friends, and then decided to make an album together. So, this lead to the first Tamikrest album, recorded in 2009. For us, it was a big and almost unbelievable chance as musicians. There are thousands of young musicians in Africa. Just because by accident we had a tent beside Dirtmusic`s tent, and one thing lead to another.<\/p>\n

EYEPLUG: What were the seminal musical influences in the formation of\u00a0the Tamikrest sound?<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Tamikrest: The Tamikrest founding members all went to the same school in Tinzaouetene. We listened a lot to the traditional Tuareg sounds, as well as the new sounds of Tinariwen. With the first cassette players, we came across the western sounds of Bob Marley, Dire Straits and Jimi Hendrix. They became our new heroes. In 2010 we were on tour in Europe. There we could listen to other western superstars, like Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Pink Floyd. Now our approach to music is heavily influenced by this experience, without losing our basic Tuareg sound.<\/p>\n

EYEPLUG: \u00a0A year later, almost to the day, you subsequently recorded <\/em><\/strong>BKO, along with Dirtmusic. What filled the 12 months between\u00a0those two events, and what do you recall of those recording\u00a0sessions?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamikrest: When we left the Festival Au Desert and said goodbye to Dirtmusic, there had already been a loose idea of working together in the future. So we spent a lot of time practicing and working on new songs. With Dirtmusic we were in a professional studio for the first time in our lives. We absorbed and internalized everything we could get from the professional workings of a studio. We also learned a lot from these musicians about sound, equipment, and playing techniques. Thus our Tuareg rock sound was created.<\/em><\/p>\n

EYEPLUG: It’s interesting to see your releases coming out on\u00a0Glitterhouse Records \u2013 <\/em><\/strong>They are normally associated with\u00a0alt-country and Americana artists \u2013 how did you hook up with them,\u00a0and what convinced you they would provide the ideal home for your music?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamikrest: Glitterhouse is Dirtmusic\u2019s label. We played as the backing band on their album BKO<\/em>, released by Glitterhouse. Glitterhouse\u2019s co-owner, Peter Weber, became our manager. So, it all came together with Glitterhouse. We don`t know the European music market very well, but they told us that the market for music is getting smaller and smaller nowadays. More and more people don`t pay for music. So the label has to look for new markets, new chances in business. They opened up to world music in the last few years. In 2010, Glitterhouse got an award for a Top Ten world music label, Womex. Besides Tamikrest, they also produce Lobi Traore, from Mali, and this year they will produce a new young band from Mali. The world is getting smaller, and so we all have to get closer to each other. Music is world-spanning . . . Or, as Bob Marley says: One world, one voice!<\/p>\n

EYEPLUG: July 2009 saw the release of your debut long player, <\/em><\/strong>Adagh \u2013 tell us about the meaning of the album’s\u00a0title, and the writing and recording process for that release.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamikrest: \u2018Adagh\u2019 is a landscape in the Sahara where we grew up. The majority of songs for Adagh<\/em> had been written long before we met Dirtmusic. Some songs were recorded at the Maison Luxembourg, in Kidal.<\/p>\n

EYEPLUG: In 2010 you toured Europe for the first time, visiting 12 countries in the process \u2013 tell us about the tour, and how it felt\u00a0taking your music to a new audience.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamikrest: I still can remember our first gig ever in Europe \u2013 in Stuttgart. We had been very nervous and highly tense, but people were excited about our show, and with every other show we got more self-confident. Our last show was in Budapest, at the Sziget Festival. Half-a-million visitors, unbelievable for us! It was a great experience for us to play all over Europe. Sometimes it was very strange for us to be involved in another cultural situation, but we learned fast, and everybody was very friendly and helpful. So we went home happy, and we are now looking forward to coming back.<\/p>\n

EYEPLUG: In October 2010 you set to work on the follow-up to <\/em><\/strong>Adagh,\u00a0the absolutely awe-inspiring <\/em>Toumastin. The album is a great\u00a0leap forward from what was a truly remarkable debut \u2013 again, tell\u00a0us the meaning of the album’s title, and a little about the writing\u00a0and recording process employed in its creation.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamikrest: \u2018Toumastin\u2019 means \u2018my community\u2019, \u2018my people\u2019. The songs of Toumastin<\/em> speak first to my community and mention the problems it faces. We had two months after the end of our tour in Europe to write the songs for Toumastin<\/em>. In October 2010, we returned to the studio Bogolan, in Bamako, for recording under the leadership of our friend, Chris Eckman.<\/p>\n

EYEPLUG: Do you consider the progression between both albums to be\u00a0part of a continual process? I hear echoes of Bob Dylan’s\u00a0‘Desire’ in ‘Dihad Tedoun Itran’, the closing track on <\/em><\/strong>Toumastin. What can we expect from the follow-up to <\/em>Toumastin when it appears?<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Tamikrest: We recorded Toumastin<\/em> straight after the tour in Europe. Of course, our experience in listening to western musicians like Bob Dylan has influenced our style. We moved forward without losing our roots. What you can expect for the next album? I don`t know yet, but in the end we will follow the road we started to take.<\/p>\n

EYEPLUG: You are set to visit Europe again this year, including some\u00a0shows in the UK this summer \u2013 what do you like about our country,\u00a0and what do you find troubling, if anything?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamikrest: I can remember exactly when we left the continent to travel by ferry to England. You can imagine that we had never seen so much water before. We have only been to London, this big confusing city. I remember it had been very stressful. Lots of traffic, hectic, but people also welcomed us, very friendly, and helpful. The audience was great, and we enjoyed very much playing.<\/p>\n

EYEPLUG: What have you got planned for the rest of 2011 once the tour\u00a0has finished?<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Tamikrest: We will go back to Mali on 30 July and we will return to Europe on 1 November. The days in between we want to be with our families and friends, but we must also start working on new songs for the next album. Of course we will also play\u00a0some shows in our home country.<\/p>\n

EYEPLUG: Finally, thanks for taking the time to talk to us here at\u00a0EYEPLUG \u2013 have you got a parting message for our readers?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamikrest: I thank the readers of EYEPLUG for their interest in Tamikrest, and through us, also the\u00a0 community of\u00a0 Kel Tamashek. I appreciate the attention you have for the messages of our songs.<\/p>\n

Tamikrest Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.tamikrest.net\/en\/<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/tamikrest<\/a><\/p>\n

Simon Morgan \u2013 Eyeplug \u2013 May 2011<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following the path trodden out of the Saharan deserts by fellow\u00a0Touareg musicians Tinariwen, come Tamikrest. The word \u2018Tamikrest\u2019 means\u00a0\u2018junction\u2019, \u2018alliance\u2019 and \u2018future\u2019. Tamikrest are\u00a0ambassadors of Touareg culture, deeply rooted in its tradition,\u00a0representing its youth, fighting for international recognition of the\u00a0plight of their people. Their recordings have found the most unlikely\u00a0of homes in Glitterhouse Records of …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":1891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,6,82,77,73,71,92],"tags":[239,250],"series":[],"class_list":["post-1889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exotica","category-features","category-folk","category-genres","category-interviews","category-music","category-post-punk","tag-simon-morgan","tag-tamikrest"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1889\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1889"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=1889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}