Tamikrest was founded about 10 years ago by bandleader Ousmane Ag Mossa in the war-weary town of Kidal in northern Mali. Tamikrest means “crossing” in the language of the Kel Tamashek, who are traditionally nomadic Saharan people that are commonly referred to as the Tuaregs.

In the struggle for the independence of the Tuareg, Ousmane and the five other band members grabbed their instruments to become a voice for their people. The first time Tamikrest erupted the stages in Europe was with the recognition of their first album Adagh. Since their existence, they produced 5 albums. One of them, Chatma, was rated number 2 in Mojo’s World Music Albums of 2013. Their latest album, named Taksera was released in 2015 on the label Glitterbeat.