Imarhan

Imarhan bring southern Algeria to Munich: on April 21, 2026, at Hansa39 the Tuareg band will demonstrate how they fuse tradition and the contemporary. Hailing from Tamanrasset, they combine the raw pulse of desert blues with hypnotic synthesizers, multi-part vocal harmonies and driving grooves. They sing mainly in Tamasheq; the lyrics draw on everyday observations and upheavals from the Saharan region, while the music oscillates between trance-like guitar patterns and smooth basslines.

At the center of the set is ESSAM, the group’s fourth album. It marks a clear shift away from the guitar-driven, Tinariwen-influenced Tuareg sound toward a more open, modern and experimental approach. For this record their longtime sound engineer Maxime Kosinetz took over production for the first time. With support from Emile Papandreou (UTO), live instruments were sampled in Tamanrasset and altered in real time, allowing electronic textures to sit naturally within the band’s structure. On stage these new layers unfold their effect: organic rhythms meet a subtle electronic sheen without losing touch with the roots.