Essam by Imarhan
ESSAM is the band’s fourth album, recorded with the same core lineup, but marks a significant shift in their sound and approach. Musically, it marks a departure from the rocky, bluesy, psychedelic Tuareg guitar-driven sound influenced by Tinariwen’s heritage — moving toward something more open, modern, and exploratory.
For the first time, their long-time sound engineer Maxime Kosinetz stepped in as producer. He travelled to Tamanrasset with Emile Papandreou (of the French duo UTO), a multi-instrumentalist who introduced electronic elements by sampling live instruments and reprocessing them in real time with a modular synthesizer — subtly reshaping the band's sonic identity.
Tracklist
| 1. | Ahitmanin | |
| 2. | Derhan N’Oulhine | 3:33 |
| 3. | Téllalt | |
| 4. | Tamiditin | |
| 5. | Okcheur | |
| 6. | Azaman Amoutay | |
| 7. | Tin Arayth | |
| 8. | Tinfoussen | |
| 9. | Adounia Tochal | |
| 10. | Assagasswar | |
Credits
License
All rights reserved.
Imarhan, meaning ‘the ones I care about’, started out around 2008, a loose collection of friends who began to play together. Their reflects their cultural and generational background; dry guitar riffs, pop melodies and pan-African rhythms which draw on traditional Tuareg music, African ballads and the modern pop and rock the band heard growing up.