Photo by Gabriel C. Pérez
Another Levitation castaway, Imarhan brought their distinctively funky take on traditional Tuareg music to Studio 1A after dangerous weather derailed their scheduled gig out at the festival. Music of the nomadic Berber tribes in Northwestern Africa may seem like an unusual fit for an American psychedelic music festival but Levitation has played host to several Tuareg musicians, most recently Bombino in 2014. Dive into any song on their self titled debut album and the decision to bring Imarhan to Levitation seems a no-brainer. Like their musical cousins Tinariwen, Imarhan captures the space and spirituality of Tuareg music but sprinkle in funkier arrangements and pick up the tempo just a bit to make something all its own.
Take a listen to their Studio 1A session at the bottom of this post.