Etran de L'Aïr

Music From Saharan Whatsapp 01

The brief -but soulful- first installment from the Music From Saharan Whatsapp series, is full of delightfully intricate guitar passages, and hypnotic rhythmic patterns, all endemic to the Agadez region.

Starting this year, Portland label Sahel Sounds, will launch a collection that will consist of monthly releases of Whatsapp audio messages sent to them by artists in the Saharan music scene. These will be raw snippets of rehearsals or live sessions and won’t have any sort of production whatsoever; in a way, it will feel like if your Saharan friends are sharing their songs with you so you can tell them what you think. It is a noble and intimate endeavor, seeking to help out lesser known projects by giving them exposure -and, hopefully, financial aid as well- when they don’t have the means to properly record their material.

In its first installment of this series, austere wedding band, Etran de L'Aïr, gives us a glimpse into one of their rehearsals on their hometown of Agadez. They’re not necessarily an unknown band, but they’re not precisely high-end either. As their bio puts it: “they’re the wedding band for people with no money”.

Etran plays in the Tuareg style, endemic to the Sahara region and, what can be said about this style of guitar playing that has not been said already? It is complex, but never too cerebral; it is repetitive, but its poly-rhythmic nature keeps it highly engaging; it evokes intense feelings without becoming too dramatic; however, the quartet manages to create a richer, fuller sound, by having three guitarists on its lineup. It may not sound like much, taking into account that other -more consolidated- projects have a full-band approach (bass, guitars, drums, keyboards), but it is within their austerity and simplicity that they find success.

Calling this type of music "desert blues" -as it has been described- is like calling music from Iceland, "snow pop"; it tragically falls short in expressing anything other than a geographical position. The pieces all have this inherent psychedelic feel to them without having to be drowned in effects or trippy, wet production gimmicks. They achieve more than what your average Tame Impala-wannabes can ever dream of, and the band accomplishes this by having tight, simple and enthralling percussive patterns that repeat against a gorgeous wall of intricate guitar passages. Despite being a little rough around the edges, the result is pretty elegant. Even the small technical mishap on the last song comes across as if it was intentional and it enhances its authenticity.

"Tarha Ebouse Dighe Mane" has a heart-wrenching melodic structure, and it is sung with weeping desperation. It is a beautifully nostalgic piece, testament of how good music transcends having an uber expensive setup; the fury with which the djembe engages in that fill before ending the song beats any formulaic and predictable crescendo out there. How a song like that may fit into a wedding party goes beyond me, but I wouldn’t hesitate to organize one just to hire these guys.

At the beginning of the month, the world lost one of Tuareg’s main voices, and it is quite endearing to see how this genre has been growing from only having one representative to the institution it is currently becoming, and how it is continuing to gather the attention it very much deserves. The legacy will live on, and thanks to Sahel Sounds releases, that cover such consolidated acts like Mdou Moctar to small projects like Etran, is not going anywhere any time soon. Now I just wonder, where can I find cheap tickets to Agadez? Will they be cheaper than planning a wedding?

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