Release Date: 16/01/25
Essam is the fourth album from Tuareg band Imarhan, marking a bold evolution in their sound. Long-time engineer Maxime Kosinetz steps in as producer, joined by Emile Papandreou (of French duo UTO), who introduces delicate electronic textures by sampling live instruments and reshaping them in real time with modular synthesis. Recorded mostly live in one large room at the band’s Aboogi Studio in Tamanrasset, the sessions carry a vibrant, communal energy as friends contribute handclaps and vocals. The result opens Imarhan’s desert-blues roots toward something more spacious, modern, and exploratory, expanding beyond their rocky, bluesy, psychedelic guitar lineage while preserving the warmth and intimacy that define their music.
Essam is the fourth album from Tuareg band Imarhan, marking a bold evolution in their sound. Long-time engineer Maxime Kosinetz steps in as producer, joined by Emile Papandreou (of French duo UTO), who introduces delicate electronic textures by sampling live instruments and reshaping them in real time with modular synthesis. Recorded mostly live in one large room at the band’s Aboogi Studio in Tamanrasset, the sessions carry a vibrant, communal energy as friends contribute handclaps and vocals. The result opens Imarhan’s desert-blues roots toward something more spacious, modern, and exploratory, expanding beyond their rocky, bluesy, psychedelic guitar lineage while preserving the warmth and intimacy that define their music.