David Dalle
Thursday July 15th, 2021 with David Dalle
Niger's Les Filles de Illighadad live in concert; drums from Africa, the Caribbean and South America.

Today we will hear a new release of a live recording from one of the most astonishing Tuareg groups to emerge from central Niger. Les Filles de Illighadad is a trio of women from the small town of Illighadad in Niger. The group is led by Fatou Seidi Ghali, the first Tuareg woman to perform professionally on the electric guitar. She learned to play her brother's guitar in secret as a child and formed her trio in 2016 with a cousin and friend (and is also joined by group's sole male member, her brother on rhythm guitar). They have created a unique style of Tuareg guitar music, as it is based on women's music called "Tende". The tende is also a goatskin drum, traditionally the only instrument played by women. Women would gather together and play the tende and sing call and response songs. Les Filles de Illighadad have incorporated "Tende" with electric guitar and the result is hypnotic. This concert was recorded at the Pioneer Works in New York City in the fall of 2019 and just released on Sahel Sounds as the third album from Les Filles de Illighadad.