After 15 years, global Tuareg Grammy-winning sensation Tinariwen, one of the most acclaimed desert blues rock bands in the world, is returning to Slovenia! In December, they will present their latest album Elwan in Šiška, showing why they’re regarded as the kings and queens of Saharan guitar poetry. The evening will be opened by Slovenian trio Širom, whose second album, released this year, is receiving rave reviews from referential media all over the world, including BBC, The Wire, Songlines and others.
Tuareg group Tinariwen needs no special introduction, as it has travelled across the entire world in its nearly four decades of existence, especially since the release of its ground-breaking album Aman Iman in 2007. “Music’s true rebels”, as NPR described them, come from Mali, whose rich musical heritage has given the world Toumani Diabaté and the great Ali Farka Touré, among others, and their lives and music have been impacted by the conflicts and diminishing liberties there. In crafting their desert blues rock, they draw on Western and local tradition alike, on the pain of homesickness and the beauty of their homeland, on encouraging revolt and on seeking solace. They’ve left their mark on countless younger generations of musicians, such as Bombino and Imarhan, and their praises have been sung by some of the biggest global stars today – Thom Yorke, Damon Albarn, Robert Plant and Chris Martin, to state just a few.
Just like Tinariwen itself, there’s a special story behind its latest, eighth, album as well. The recipients of the 2012 Grammy Award for Best World Music Album found themselves in exile in recent years, after warlords invaded their homes. The musicians found refuge in the legendary American studio Rancho de la Luna, joining the illustrious ranks of artists who have recorded there, such as Queens of the Stone Age, PJ Harvey, Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters and Iggy Pop. They were assisted by guests Kurt Vile, Mark Lanegan and guitarist Marc Sweeney (Johnny Cash, Bonnie Prince Billy, Cat Power), and the eleven new songs on Elwan prove yet again that Tinariwen is a musical phenomenon beyond compare.
The group, which has played all major festivals around the world (Glastonbury, Coachella, Roskilde, WOMAD …), first played in Slovenia at the Druga Godba festival in 2002, back before it exploded on a global level. This time, they’re returning for their first solo gig in our country. Come to Šiška and let the warm Saharan wind blow the December cold away!
Acoustic folk trance trio Širom, composed of Ana Kravanja, Iztok Koren and Samo Kutin, who also play in ŠKM banda, Najoua, Hexenbrutal and Samo Gromofon, first piqued the interest of audiences around the world with its debut album, then straight-up stunned them with this year’s follow-up I Can Be A Clay Snapper. The Glitterbeat Records release is receiving rave reviews from referential media around the globe, such as BBC, The Wire, Songlines and others, who aren’t holding back when it comes to praising the group’s unique, elegantly multifaceted sound somewhere between Hauschka’s acoustic techno, the Sun Ra Arkestra’s galactic wanderings and Kronos Quartet’s omnivorous chamber folk.
Organisation: Kino Šiška.
