Sudden ascent
Mathias Heise
Keywords
Reviews (2)
The guardian
d. 5. Sep. 2013
By
By
Robin Denselow
d. 5. Sep. 2013
"This inspired and furious guitar band (...) mix energy and precision with an engagingly hybrid style. There are echoes of a sped-up desert blues in songs such as Tchana, and there are reminders of the Fuji tradition of Nigeria, to the south, in some of the percussion. But what makes this band special is their full-tilt approach, and a hypnotic intensity that reminded me at times of Kinshasa's Konono No 1 ... Play it very loud".
fRoots
2013 October
By
By
Bob Walton
2013 October
"A top-quality orchestra from Niamey, Niger, an ancient cultural crossroads in the Sahel from which little music reaches the outside world ... A reference point might be Tuareg blues, but here we have a wider, more sophisticated style. Tal National consists of Songhai, Fulani and Hausa as well as Tuareg musicians, and this is a full, big-sounding band ... Restless, involved melodic lines are repeated over a succession of unusual and intricate rhythms, with solo and choral voices coming ad going in one great melée. It's trance/dance music - exuberant, teetering on the edge of disorder, sure of itself, powerful. A special note for the central guitar playing by leader Hamadal "Almeida" Moumine which is quite spectacular - a masterly display of control and release. Not lead, not rhythm - more like a helmsman leading the band".