WOMAD

Etran Finatawa

From Niger Republic

Reprising those tinder-dry desert blues
The Touareg and the Wodaabe nomadic tribes aren't known for their tolerance of each other, their history being marked by competition and conflict. So something of an entente cordiale was achieved when, at the Festival In The Desert in 2004, Touareg outfit Etran N'Guefan and Wodaabe group Finatawa took their places alongside each other onstage. The audience reaction was such that both bands instantly threw in their lot to create a desert supergroup - Etran Finatawa (or Stars Of The Tradition). Two albums in, their sound clearly distinguishes them from other desert bluemen. The Touareg members might brandish Fender Stratocasters with all the rebel cool of their compatriots Tinariwen but, thanks to the Wodaabe input, the Etran Finatawa sound is more percussive and acoustic than that of their hugely celebrated peers. This alliance of tribes is also visually conspicuous, the Touaregs' robes and turbans complemented by the striking Wodaabe headdresses and face paint.
Biography by Nige Tassell

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