Imarhan - Essam

ESSAM is the band’s fourth album, recorded with the same core lineup, but marks asignificant shift in their sound and approach. Musically, it marks a departure from the rocky,bluesy, psychedelic Tuareg guitar-driven sound influenced by Tinariwen’s heritage—movingtoward 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 andreprocessing them in real time with a modular synthesizer—subtly reshaping the band'ssonic identity.The album was recorded mostly live, in one big room at Aboogi Studio—the band’s ownrehearsal and recording space in Tamanrasset. The studio, a converted concert hall, hasbecome a kind of cultural hub for the local youth. Friends dropped by during the sessions tocontribute handclaps, vocals, and just be part of the energy. It’s a space where peoplegather, hang out, play dominoes, smoke chicha—a rare communal spot in a city thatdoesn’t offer many for young people, somewhat like a youth and communitycenter.This context—the creative shift, the live recording process, the atmosphere around Aboogi—might be interesting threads to explore in the conversation.