Cocteau Twins - Tranquil Eye

Nomads, by tradition, move around the Sahara region in northwest Africa, through the Sahel, to the Niger River. They wear tunics, turbans, veils, and other loose clothing to let air flow underneath, while still protecting them from the relentless desert sun. The history of the Tuareg people spans centuries of migration, miscegenation, and cultural mixtures. All of this, of course, explains the rise of musical expressions such as Tishoumaren or Assouf, known as desert blues, a magical fusion of rock instrumentation and regional roots, Tuareg, Malian, and North African music.

If we’re going to get into the desert blues, we have to start with its pioneers. Tinariwen’s origins date back to 1979 when Ibrahim Ag Alhabib formed a band to play at parties and weddings. They had no official name, but people began to call them Kel Tinariwen, The Desert Boys. During his childhood, which he spent between refugee camps and exile neighborhoods in Algeria and Libya, Ibrahim saw a western movie in which a cowboy played the guitar.

Source: Desert Blues: A Musical Journey Through The Tuareg Culture by Santiago Delucchi

Cocteau Twins - Tranquil Eye

• Genre: Electronic, Rock, Shoegaze
• Released on: Violane album
• Released in: June 1996

"The former members of Cocteau Twins have remained active musically in the years since the band's demise. In 2022, Elizabeth Fraser, Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde were awarded with the Visionary Award by The Ivors Academy."

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