31 January 2013

The Sahara Sessions

Recording Etran Finatawa in Niger, January 2013


The studio in the desert



January 6th - off to Niger to record a new album with Etran Finatawa, the band of Tuareg and Wodaabe musicians that I had the pleasure of working with on their previous album Tarkit Tajje, which we recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studio in England during one of their European tours. This time they wanted to do something that would symbolize the recurrent theme of many of their songs: the disappearance of the nomadic way of life that spawned their cultures. So it was decided to venture out of Niamey, the capital of Niger where they live and return to the desert and record in a tent that they erected specially for the purpose.
Here's some photos showing how it's done!

1. Find the only tree on the plain

2. Unload the studio equipment and kitchen utilities