Ichichila

The Tuareg’s “desert blues” has long been a favorite among African music fans, and much of its current popularity should be credited to the female group Tartit, whose album Ichichila was among the first to reach Western ears. Unlike the electronics infused, global sounds of Imarhan, or the desert rock of Tinariwen, Tartit’s music is simple yet incredibly emotive, relying mostly on the tehardent (a three-stringed, plucked long neck lute) and imzad (a single-string bowed violin, mostly played by women), sparse electric guitar, hand claps, and call and response vocals to build their timeless grooves.