The members of Tamikrest consider themselves to be spiritual sons of Tinariwen and like Tinariwen this new generation of Tuareg musicians sings of the blues of their people and the beauty of the desert. That being said, should you recognize a lick of reggae here and there that might be well possible as bandleader Ousmane Ag Mossa is an amateur of the Caribbean genre. 'Adagh', Tamikrest's debut album, came about thanks to a collaboration with the American band Dirtmusic whom they met at the Festival au Désert in Essakane.
Their passage at that festival had such impact on the members of Dirtmusic they decided to return to Bamako (BKO is the international aviation code for the Malian capital) to record an album. For 'BKO' they worked with Tamikrest, Lobi Traore and Fatima Walet Oumar (singer with Tartit). The result is a mix of Western and African influences and is reminiscent of The Good, The Bad & The Queen, the joint project of Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz), Paul Simonon (The Clash), Simon Tong (The Verve) and Tony Allen.