Terakaft (meaning "caravan" in Tamasheq) is a
genuine desert rock band, sculpted by the pure searing air and the
endless rolling sands of the Sahara.
The stark, harsh conditions
of the Sahara have permeated their wild riffs, and as a result Terakaft
are the perfect embodiment of all that is wild and free in desert blues
today. They have taken the electric guitar and made it their own.
Terakaft
was formed in 2001 by Sanou Ag Ahmed, then based in Kidal, Mali with
Kedou Ag Ossad. Kedou was a member of the original line-up of Tinariwen
(four of Kedou’s compositions are embodied on their first international
release "The Radio Tisdas Sessions").
Liya Ag Ablil (aka Diara),
Sanou’s uncle, joined the band in 2006. Diara was also an original
member of Tinariwen and was known for his fierce and passionate style of
rock’n’roll guitar playing. He played with Tinariwen for almost 20
years, but stepped back just before Tinariwen started touring
internationally. He’s still a close friend of Ibrahim "Abaraybone" Ag
Alhabib, and played on Tinariwen’s last album "Imidiwan : Companions"
(as did Sanou and Abdallah of Terakaft).
Terakaft recorded their
first studio album "Bismilla, The Bko Sessions" in four days at the
legendary Bogolan Studios in Bamako, Mali.
the Bko sessions
In a Bamako courtyard around 98, I heard a half whispered song on a
broken guitar which entranced me. It led me, Philippe Brix and a few
others to the Sahara desert to find where this music came from. Tuareg
guitar - a looping groove, melancholy tune, a simplicity and a
profundity - that called to mind the masters of the Delta, the spirit
and defiance of the early Wailers, with a desert flavour between Gnawa
trance and Ali Farka's serpentine swing. Tinariwen was a loose
collective of originators, among them Diara, the master of the Saharan
rhythm guitar. Together with Sanou, an archetypal Saharan cowboy, with
Wah Wah Watson sideboards and full Rock and Roll attitude, they became
Terakaft, guardians of the original Tuareg guitar.
Justin Adams
