Tamikrest – ‘Assikel’ album review: Desert blues nomads return to their roots
It has been over half a century since the distinctive sounds of desert blues first commanded the airwaves, and over a decade since the Malian desert blues heroes of Tamikrest unveiled their debut album. Yet, the 2020s continue to feel like a golden age for the genre in a global sense, and Tamikrest’s newly unveiled Assikel is the latest addition to that ever-expanding landscape.
The Skinny: Since its earliest origins, the sonic bones of desert blues have been formed from the sounds, traditions, and people of the Saharan region, and perhaps in times gone by, that distinctive sound would never have travelled beyond those immediate surroundings. Nevertheless, when listening to the scene’s architect, Ali Farka Touré or the multitude of groups carrying that torch forward into the 21st-century, it is hard to escape its emotive rock and roll appeal, which transcends all international borders, and which Tamikrest are particularly adept at capturing.
On this most recent album, the Tinzawaten-formed group return to the analogue realm, recording live and direct to tape, in a successful effort to capture the kind of improvisational energy that the band’s live performances have become noted for over the course of their illustrious existence. Coupled with the band’s own production stylings on the LP, this recording process heightens the organic, spontaneous, and authentic sound of Assikel.
That improvisational nature also lends itself fantastically to the multitude of heavy guitar freakouts on the album, for which the track ‘Imanin’ is a notable highlight.
Over the course of the tracklisting, which at just eight tracks in length rarely feels overbearing and lends itself nicely to repeated listens, the band explore their own personal and musical roots in Mali, drawing from traditional folk music and Tuareg song, which thus allows them to flow into a stark, beautiful exploration of the Tuareg heritage and semi-nomadic principles.
These are, of course, cultural touchstones which are present throughout the desert blues realm, but the atmospheric, poignant mood Tamikrest creates on this album feels incredibly unique to their output.
That expansive world which Tamikrest so effortlessly build over the course of the tracklisting, creating an impressively vibrant image of their surroundings even in the minds of those who have never set foot on the African continent, is supported by Tinariwen’s Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, whose vocal contributions to ‘Eillal’ form a key highlight of the record, as well as demonstrating the irrefutable strength of the wider desert blues scene at current.
Standout Track: ‘Adagh Oyantid’
The Verdict: Whereas some desert blues records are capable of being stuck on a turntable as little more than background music, Tamikrest have created an incredibly compelling record in Assikel, one which demands your undivided attention and rewards you with some of the most immersive, emotive, and genre-defining recordings in recent memory.
Release date: May 15th, 2026 | Producer: Tamikrest | Label: Glitterbeat
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