When world music artists collaborate with Western acts, our inner Rousseau, with his patronising vision of the noble savage pumping out some exotic groove from an ancient wellspring of innate good taste, is usually severely compromised.
It turns out all your favourite developing world star really wanted to do was duet with some embarrassing rock aristocrat like Sting, rather than genuflect at the altar of consensus approved cool things. Tinariwen, the Tuareg nomads, and former tooled-up freedom fighters, currently pushing another helping of their streamlined Saharan blues, remain unsullied.
They’re the world music band you can take to the Uncut awards without worrying they’re going to get off with Chris Rea.
The opener here, Imidiwan Ma Tenam, features the American free improviser and Wilco collaborator Nels Cline on extra texture, Tenere Taqhim Tossam deploys members of Brooklyn’s post-rockers TV On The Radio, and this Christmas the band play at the Minehead Butlin’s hipsters’ love-in All Tomorrow’s Parties.
Their fifth album finds them out of the studio, recording alfresco under the stars, and sounds again like every great white, twin guitar band you ever loved – from Television to Thin White Rope – gone native at the source of the blues, and fronted by sun-blinded snake-charmers, clicking their fingers and swaying to an irresistible gravitational swell.
Few of this music’s inheritors channel the spirits so powerfully. And those still weeping for John Lee Hooker, or his Malian opposite number Ali Farka Toure, need look no further than Tamiditin Tan Ufrawan or Tiliaden Osamnat for a taste of the cyclical hypno-blues they believed forgotten for ever.
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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John Robins, Comedian
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Brighton Argus
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Stuart, Chortle
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Hiewy, Youtube
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World Without End, Twitter
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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A D Ward, Twitter
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Meninblack, Twitter
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Microcuts 22, Twitter