Tinariwen — Live on KEXP, 2014

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Why this recording

On 14 April 2014, Darek Mazzone welcomes Tinariwen to the KEXP studio for a 19-minute session, published on 6 May. Four songs follow one another, from Cler Achel to Chaghaybou, by way of Timadrit In Sahara and Tahalamot. The station credits Kevin Suggs on sound, Jim Beckmann, Jenna Pool and Justin Wilmore on cameras, and Scott Holpainen on editing. The radio format, a few songs and a regular crew, puts the band in a tight setting, the opposite of a festival stage.

— Simon Janvier, live-sound professional and editor of the catalogue

Recording technical sheet

Rights-holding channelKEXP
Source statusOfficial — broadcaster or organiser
Uploaded
Exact runtime
ResolutionHD (720p+)
Source qualityProfessional (multi-camera)

Metadata checked on YouTube on 29 September 2026; direction, camera setup and sound documented by the editors.

Published on August 10, 2026 by

Filmed live session by Tinariwen in the KEXP radio studio in Seattle, recorded on 14 April 2014. A Tuareg collective born in the camps of southern Algeria and northern Mali, Tinariwen invented a form of “desert blues” (assouf) blending hypnotic electric guitars, Tamasheq singing and the poetry of exile. Winner of a Grammy Award for the album Tassili (2011), the group is recognised as one of the major ambassadors of Tuareg music worldwide. This KEXP session, a multi-song live format, shows them in an acoustic and electric configuration. The live concert runs through four songs: “Cler Achel”, “Timadrit In Sahara”, “Tahalamot” and “Chaghaybou”. Between rhythmic trance, guitar loops and vocal harmonies, Tinariwen unfolds a deeply rooted and political desert music. Captured by the KEXP team (host: Darek Mazzone), this filmed live performance illustrates the hypnotic power of a Saharan blues that has become universal. Year: 2014. Part of KEXP’s celebrated series of in-studio live performances, this full multi-song session can be watched online in HD.

Setlist

  1. Cler Achel
  2. Timadrit In Sahara
  3. Tahalamot
  4. Chaghaybou

Personnel & credits

  • Tinariwen — Tuareg collective
  • Darek Mazzone — host (KEXP)
  • Kevin Suggs — sound recording
Category

What to watch next

Tinariwen appears 2 more times in the catalogue, and KEXP, Seattle gathers 87 recordings in all.

More recordings of Tinariwen