is an incredible, unique group of Tuareg musicians from Mali, in the Sahara desert. The band was actually first formed years ago, in 1979 in Algeria, returning to Mali over a decade later when peace agreements were signed, ending the Tuareg Rebellion. Ibrahim Ag Alhabib was the founder of the band, and used it to voice his political opinions, and to help support the Tuareg people. His "voice" on the guitar absolutely defines the band's sound, and has a VERY uniquely Saharan sort of sound. Ibrahim was inspired by rock and roll music from the US and England, but also grew up around traditional Tuareg music from the region. He seamlessly combines these two influences to create something that at times feels surfy-rock like (with its use of Eastern scale sounds), but also feels more like traditional stringed instruments of the region, particularly in his use of trills and mordents, which are blazingly fast. Like the blues artists that inspired the rock he loves, he also incorporates a lot of 1/4 tone bends and the like, which also help to give his music that non-Western sound. This song comes from the band's 2014 album Emmaar, which was where I first discovered them. If you like this, definitely check out the album in its entirety, you won't be disappointed.