Conscious Music you have probably never heard of | #84 | Terakaft

avatar
(Edited)

Authentic & raw rock tunes from the Sahara desert, Terakaft sounds like nothing you have ever heard!

Unbelievably groovy and enticing, their tracks paint rich visions of remote desert landscapes that come alive with the yearning of revolution and hardship, the longing for peace and dialogue, and the human heart in front of a microphone; telling a story that feels fresh and utterly un-exploited to the Western ear.

"Terakaft" in the Tamasheq language means 'caravan' and after a track or two you will know they have found the perfect name for their band.

Hailing from Mali, Africa - lovingly labeled the "pioneers of desert blues" - they quite frankly sound like nothing else. Embedded in their charming and minimalist approach, their tracks are gripping and memorable - so much so that you will find yourself humming phrases stuck in your head for days on end, feeling like you were 3 years old trying to mimick an utterly foreign tongue.

It's quite the trip to suddenly immerse yourself in desert guitar music from Mali but boy is it worth it.

A real gem to those looking for new horizons of handmade music in their lives and new bands to listen to, Terakaft are a perfect symbol for the true wealth of humanity's natural diversity in expression. It reminds us again just how much is missing within modern music played on mainstream stations: the heart.

Far from technically perfect, the music has something much more important: charm and character! It is a phenomenon that has become all but extinct these days, where everything has been polished into utter numbness, loudness and blinding sparkle devoid of vitality.

Terakaft is the opposite.They will make you dance, will make you hold your breath and have you firget what you were talking about one second ago. It's that powerful.

So naturally due to their awareness raising, heartfelt music Terakaft deserves a place in this series! Both recent albums ("Kel Tamasheq" & "Aratan N Azawad") are incredible.

If you like guitars, rhythm, and a breath of fresh air in authenticity you have to check this out if only for a track or two.

Here are two of my favorites, each from one of the aforementioned albums. Let the tracks speak for themselves.

I hope you enjoy! Let me know if it stunned you as much as it stunned me when I first heard it. I still cannot get rid of these tracks and somehow the desert is now always with me in spirit wherever I go.


Come check out more conscious music you may have never heard of:

#1 | Uwe Banton - Moneyfool
#2 | Reflection Eternal - Ballad of the Black Gold
#3 | Enter Shikari - Quelle Surprise
#4 | Man of No Ego - Blinkers Removed
#5 | Kalya Scintilla - Open Ancient Eyes
#6 | Ajja & Cosmosis - The Alien Jams
#7 | Imagika Om - Cosmic Sutras
#8 | Mystral - Infinite Echoes
#9 | Tomas Dvorak - Machinarium Original Soundtrack
#10 | Chronos - Animo
#11 | Quanta - Overflow
#12 | Ott - Skylon
#13 | Zyce - Live Set 2011
#14 | Globular - Magnitudes of Order
#15 | Dessin Bizarre - Endless
#16 | Ajja - Spira Mirabilis
#17 | Cybernetika - Colossus
#18 | Talisman
#19 | Liquid Bloom - Heart of the Shamans
#20 | Stellardrone - Between the Rings
#21 | Organic Dreamers
#22 | Suduaya - Unity
#23 | Tripswitch - Geometry
#24 | Talpa - The Path
#25 | The Riddler - Surprise
#26 |Solar Fields - Red
#27 |Tara Putra - In Dubland
#28 | Entheogenic - Kykeon
#29 | Master Margherita - Hippies with Gadgets
#30 | Merkaba - As Earth to Sky
#31 | Nothing More - This Is The Time (live)
#32 | Puscifer - Indigo Children
#33 | Dub FX - Society Gates (live)
#34 | System of a Down - Science
#35 | Atom Sessions - Rest for the Wicked
#36 | Mad Tribe - Amazing Tales From Outer Space
#37 | Kiasmos (live)
#38 | Man of No Ego - Web of Life
#39 | Globular - Digging & Building
#40 | Kaya Project - ...& So It Goes
#41 | Reflection - Mechanical Puzzle
#42 | Kalya Scintilla - Listen to the Trees
#43 | Zen Baboon - Collected
#44 | Entheogenic
#45 | Logical Elements - Unexplored Elements
#46 | Hallucinogen In Dub (live)
#47 | Lab's Cloud - Connecting on a Deeper Level
#48 | Asura - 360
#49 | Rye Smugglers - Chili Con Karma
#50 | Spirit Architect - A Message to Shankra Festival
#51 | Carbon Based Lifeforms - Derelicts
#52 | TRD - Lucid Dreaming
# 53 | Quanta - Elements
# 54 | Globular - A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
# 55 | Goatika (live in moscow)
#56 | Kalya Scintilla - Eloquent Expansion
#57 | Divination - Live @ Radiozora
#58 | Martian Arts - On the way to Ozora
#59 | Suduaya - Live Chillout @ Psy-Fi Festival 2015
#60 | Atmos - 604
#61 | Freundeskreis - Esperanto
#62 | Robot Robinson - Sun Ra (Feat. I.D.4 Windz)
#63 | Jon Gomm - Passionflower (live)
#64 | VA - Serbian Style Vol. 2
#65 | Ital - Live at Ozora 2018
#66 | Crazy Astronaut - Sate
#67 | Astrix - Live @ Universo Paralello 2017-2018
#68 | VA - Sacred Circuits Vol. 1
#69 | LX-D @ Antaris 2019
#70 | Johnny Blue @ Psy-Fi Festival 2019
#71 | Beats Antique - Collide
#72 | Mystral - World Without Limits
#73 | VA - Floating Point 3
#74 | Cena Balak - Beep
#75 | Motion Drive - Chill Out Realms
#76 | Dynamic Illusion - Life
#77 | AstroPilot - Solar Walk
#78 | Hypnagog - Thematic Mathematics
#79 | Astro Pilot - Solar Walk II
#80 | Mindwave - Awaken
#81 | Organic Patterns - The Search
#82 | The Re-Stoned - Stories of the Astral Lizard
#83 | VA - The Clear Path


Img srcs:
discogs.com
unsplash.com


Thanks for stopping by <3



0
0
0.000
9 comments
avatar

Wow! Saw this post's title popping up and remembered this series of yours, of ages ago.

It's bringing back memories to my early days in Portugal... ✨♥️

0
0
0.000
avatar

awesome ahahaha. feels good to hive again and to have you around.
many seem to be gone huh?

blessings vince <3

0
0
0.000
avatar

Yup, the place feels a bit empty and automated, at times ( not unlike city life )

0
0
0.000
avatar

that's an interesting perspective
it still feels like it could be a real quality platform. maybe soon

0
0
0.000
avatar

It still has plenty of potential, I agree, plus it's one of my biggest investments ( in time, money and energy ) as well as the place where many of my friends hang out, so I will surely stick around ;^)

0
0
0.000
avatar

I am always open to listening to new music and I really enjoyed meeting your publication. The first of the songs is more suggestive for my imagination. The second has touches similar to a mantra, both perfect for an evening before going to sleep. Thank you for sharing them.

0
0
0.000
avatar

hey thank you so much for stopping by and giving them a listen.
their albums are on spotify, and a youtube search gives some songs as well.

blessings

0
0
0.000