Essam Transparent Petrol Vinyl LP

Essam is the bands 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 Tinariwens heritagemoving 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 synthesizersubtly reshaping the band\’s sonic identity. The album was recorded mostly live, in one big room at Aboogi Studiothe bands own rehearsal and recording space in Tamanrasset. The studio, a converted concert hall, has become a kind of cultural hub for the local youth. Friends dropped by during the sessions to contribute handclaps, vocals, and just be part of the energy. Its a space where people gather, hang out, play dominoes, smoke chichaa rare communal spot in a city that doesnt offer many for young people, somewhat like a youth and community center. This contextthe creative shift, the live recording process, the atmosphere around Aboogimight be interesting threads to explore in the conversation.

Essamis the bands 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 Tinariwens heritagemoving 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 synthesizersubtly reshaping the band’s sonic identity.

The album was recorded mostly live, in one big room at Aboogi Studiothe bands own rehearsal and recording space in Tamanrasset. The studio, a converted concert hall, has become a kind of cultural hub for the local youth. Friends dropped by during the sessions to contribute handclaps, vocals, and just be part of the energy. Its a space where people gather, hang out, play dominoes, smoke chichaa rare communal spot in a city that doesnt offer many for young people, somewhat like a youth and community center.

This contextthe creative shift, the live recording process, the atmosphere around Aboogimight be interesting threads to explore in the conversation.