Photo by Ron Wyman
All this week, KUTX profiles the Ones To Watch—seven must-see artists at SXSW 2016. See more here.
Bombino hails from the Tuareg region in North Africa, an area that’s been torn apart by civil war over the past few decades. But Bombino’s music is positive, a blend of psychedelic rock, blues, and traditional Tuareg sounds. His songs are political and deeply personal, and he doesn’t think the language or cultural barrier is too big to understand them. Speaking via email through a translator, Bombino says “that music is it’s own language…it is a feeling that can be shared with anyone.”
Bombino is influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Santana, and Mark Knopfler, and another guitarist, the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, worked with him on his previous album. His new album, Azel, is another mixture of old and new, produced by the Dirty Projectors’ Dave Longstreth but it spotlights Bombino’s unique style. Listen to our feature below, hosted by Jody Denberg and produced by Art Levy.
Bombino at SXSW 2016:
Thursday, Mar 17: Hotel San Jose (SXSanJose)
Thursday, Mar 17: Hotel Vegas (official SXSW showcase) — 10:45 p.m.
Friday, Mar 18: SXSW Radio Day Stage (VuHaus) — 3 p.m.
Friday, Mar 18: Palm Door on Sixth (official SXSW showcase) — 1 a.m.
Saturday, Mar 19: Waterloo Records — 6 p.m.
