ABOUT THIS ITEM

In December of 2008 the old and the young gathered in the sleepy desert village of Tessalit to record Tinariwen's fourth album. It seemed like the ideal place; quiet, off the beaten track, home to Hassan and Ibrahim, blessed with a plentiful water supply and a friendly familiar populace. The group had expressed a strong desire to return to their roots and recapture the raw desert sound of their early recordings. 'Imidiwan' is one of those big Tamashek words, to which no single English word can ever do justice. Just like 'Assouf', the name which the Touareg themselves often give Tinariwen's guitar style. 'Assouf' means the blues, loneliness, heartache, longing, homesickness, the darkness beyond the campfire. 'Imidiwan' means friends, companions, soul-brothers, fellow travellers. The juxtaposition of these two words is particularly striking. Maybe Tinariwen are coming in from the cold and recognising all those soul-friends, both living and departed, who have made their incredible journey bearable, whilst warming their hands over the camp fire and looking up at the night sky thick with stars.