Les Filles de Illighadad
There is nothing the fantastic Sahel Sounds label puts out that can’t be classified as essential listening, but we have an extra special place in our hearts for the record guitarist Fatou Seidi Ghali & vocalist Alamnou Akrouni put out just last year. As Les Filles de Illighadad they play an ultra minimalistic form of desert blues; dreamy and laced with melancholy but at the same time tough and raw. There is quite an abundance of Tuareg guitar bands touring Europe these days, but the Niger based Les Filles are something quite different and wholly unique. This is their first time in Belgium and if they’re half as good as on record, they might very will be the highlight of this festival.