New Music from Tinariwen

Formed in rebel training camps in Libya, these exiled nomads-turned-rock-stars of the Sahara have become the soundtrack for Touareg independence and reconciliation, combining traditional Touareg melodies with Malian, Western, Berber and Arabic influences to create spare, evolving, hypnotic songs.

Guardian Blog

'Tinariwen are a musical collective from Mali who have gained wide recognition for their brand of desert blues thanks to excellent albums and acclaimed performances at some of the world's biggest festivals. Incorporating Algerian rai, Egyptian pop and Led Zeppelin, their last album, 2009's Imidiwan, won an Uncut award for being 'the most inspiring and richly rewarding album of the last 12 months'. This year, Tinariwen release their fifth album, Tassili, the first single from which will be 'Tenere Taqqim Tossam', have a listen below. Built around an undulating bassline and a spidery guitar figure, it features TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe whose vocal interplay on the chorus blends perfectly with the backing, enhancing but never transforming the song into anything other than a Tinariwen track.'

'Tenere Taqqim Tossam' is out 8 July on V2 and Tassili will be released on 29 August.

Tinariwen will be playing two London dates at KOKO on 26 & 27 October. Buy your tickets here.

For a little insight into how the album was recorded, and to hear the new single, watch this clip: