Bibi Ahmed 4tet
Created in 1996 by Nigerien guitarist Bibi Ahmed, Group Inerane (Sublime Frequencies label) is representative of the Tuareg revolutionary music that sweeps over the Sahara desert. Their music is a political weapon, inspired by the rebel musicians from the Libyan refugee camps in the 1980s and 1990s. Eager for encounters and innovations, the group members evolve over time. As part of a residency of creation in Marseilles in 2014, organised by L'Embobineuse to record an album, a new band is born: BIBI AHMED 4TET *.
It gathers two members of Group Inerane - the enigmatic guitar hero Bibi Ahmed and his fellow Ikali Adam - and two Marseilles-based musicians, drummer Ahmad Compaoré and bass player Aurélien Arnoux. With an authentic view to explore their respective musical backgrounds, they deliver a unique blend of rock, blues, folk and Tuareg tradition, amplified by electric guitars with psychedelic overtones that make it unrivalled. At the crossroads of contemporary and traditional music, a hypnotic blues like an antithesis to formatted "world music".
BIBI AHMED & IKALI ADAM: electric guitars, voice
A Tuareg musician of Nigerien nationality, Bibi Ahmed created Group Inerane aged 17, carrying the rich tradition of Tamasheq guitar songs for another generation. In keeping with the great ensembles of Tuareg music (Tinariwen, Terakaft, Tamikrest), the band is very active in the Sahara and in West Africa. If their background is inseperable from political turmoil and personal tragedy, their music still sounds like what it started out as: namely social music intended for dancing and celebrations, with trance-inducing exuberant songs, incarnation of the Tuareg's voice for hope and equality. Representatives of a thousand-year-old culture, integral part of the heritage of humanity, Bibi Ahmed and Ikali Adam carry a richness that needs to be passed on to anyone able to grasp its inexpressible treasures. And today in France and in Europe, a wide audience is willing to appreciate this authenticity shaped by the desert winds...
AHMAD COMPAORÉ: drums
Of Egyptian and Burkinabé origins, Ahmad Compaoré confirms his singular talent alongside Fred Frith, Marc Ribot, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Barre Phillips, Camel Zekri or Egyptian choreographer Karima Mansour. With a constant craving for exploration and discovery, he shares his creativeness between dance, theatre and cinema. Twice recipient of the Culturesfrance "Hors Les Murs" award, he lived in India and Japan as part of residencies of creation. Free from boundaries, he equally enjoys the most extreme experiences in alternative and improvised music, jazz and fusion. Involved in many projects, he is currently a drummer within Lucky Peterson's quartet.
AURÉLIEN ARNOUX: electric bass
Passionate about free jazz and blues, Aurélien Arnoux was trained at The New School in New-York following his encounter with improviser and double bass player Barre Phillips. Back in Marseilles, he won the First Prize of the Jazz class at the Conservatoire National de Région. He gets involved in multidisciplinary projects (music, dance, theatre) with companies such as Les Bancs Publics, Incidence and La Force Molle. He has collaborated with Raphaël Imbert, Rez Abbasi, Philippe Renault, Marion Rampal and Mama Ohandja among others, as well as experimental bands like Das Simple, Oust! and Manuchello.
* Created with Jules Bernable on bass.
