The African Soul Rebel Tour has a varied line up of provocative artists who have recent impressive albums under their belt which prove these adjectives to be well chosen. Rachid Taha the rock/punk North African French artist; Daara J the hip hop outfit from Senegal and Tinariwen the Touareg band from Mali. What brings them under one tour is the fact that they're 'rebels' -- on the outside because of their race, tribe or because of the music they create.

Rachid has been on the Paris scene for over fifteen years as a solo artist, mixing his two realities -- North African Arab with the French European -- through musical styles, instrumentation and language. It's all done with the ease of someone who has a foot firmly in each camp, who constantly questions his two realities.

His 2004 album Tékitoi?, is his fifth album as a solo artist. The lyrics slide between French and Arabic and have been inspired from France and Algeria's present -- political corruption, inequality, immigration, the idea of democracy and the power of the people. On Tékitoi? Rachid brings together the Arabic sounds of percussion and instrumentation with the harsh guitar, grinding vocals and rhythms of rock and punk.

Daara J are old-timers on the Senegalese hip hop scene and released their latest album -- Boomerang -- in 2003. Senegal has been developing its hip hop scene since the early 1980s and is now on a par with South Africa in terms of production standards and output. Daara J has been at the center of this scene, defining the sounds of Senegalese rap to become a major contender on the continent.

At the heart of Senegalese rap and what Daara J does best is the need to question and call to account authority in general. Government corruption, inequalities, events that have been hushed up are all chewed over and spat out by this trio. They are proud and pushy -- rapping in Wolof, French and English, mixing up the global styles of global hip hop, R&B, reggae and ragga with Cuban sounds and the local musical landscape of Senegal and West Africa.

Tinariwen was formed in the late 1970s but have only recently emerged on to the world music stage with their 2001 debut The Radio Tisdas Sessions and now the 2004 release; Amassakoul.

Tinariwen is a loose collection of a dozen players and singer-songwriters from the nomadic Touareg (or Tamashek) people of Mali. The tribe has been for many years victim to policies of repression from the Malian government to the point of conflict through armed uprisings and many Touareg fleeing the country to Algeria and Libya. Tinariwen's music is so closely linked to this experience the group is seen as carrying the torch for the tribe onto the world stage through their music. Their sung poetry calls for the political awakening of consciousness and approaches the problems of the exile, of the repression in Mali and expulsion to Algeria and of the claims for sovereignty and self-determination.

Back in the 1970s, the traditional instruments of the Touareg were exchanged for the electric guitar, electric bass and drums the music they produce now is still loosely based on traditional Touareg music and the harsh melodies of the one-stringed Touareg violin. The style is known as 'Tishoumaren' or simply 'guitar', because the instrument is so central to both the music and image and has been called 'desert blues' by some, not only because of the musical style but also because of the lyrical content of their songs.

These artists are changing the face of contemporary African music for European listeners in their own right, through their politicisation and creative mixing of language, cultural expression and musical styles. Bringing these artists together onto one stage for the African Soul Rebel Tour will create a unique and exciting must-see event.

The dates are:

Feb 15th: Basingstoke (The Anvil)
Feb 16th: Brighton (Dome)
Feb 17th: Bristol (Colston Hall)
Feb 18th: Poole (The Lighthouse)
Feb 20th: Coventry (Warwick Arts Centre)
Feb 21st: Gateshead (The Sage)
Feb 23rd: Edinburgh (Usher Hall)
Feb 24th: Shrewsbury (Jazz and Roots Club)
Feb 25th: Leicester (De Montfort Hall)
Feb 26th: London (Shepherds Bush Empire)

Daara J's Boomerang and Rachid Taha's Tékitoi? are released by Wrasse Records. Tinariwen's Amassakoul is released by Independent Records.

See also Rachid Taha - Tékitoi? reviewed.

--Image of Daara J by Damian Rafferty--