TAL NATIONAL release new album ‘Kaani’ out 9th September On Fat Cat Records

Straight from Niamey, Niger, Tal National are set to move from hometown hero status in their native landlocked, desert-dominated West African country to the global stage, thanks to their recent signing to FatCat and their first tour dates outside of Niger, starting at the Chicago World Music Festival in September 2013.

Revered regionally for their mix of Saharan and West African sounds and for their intense guitar work and upbeat vibe, Tal National make striking music, despite a constant dearth of available instruments and a complete lack of local studios. Their sound combines gritty electric sounds and layered, intriguing percussion including the talking drum. Tal National’s songs find a looping, trance-inducing quality (think desert blues), delivered with a true joy and vitality (think highlife or mbalax), and is comprised of a combination of original compositions and new arrangements of old West African folk songs.

Tracklisting: 1. Kaani 2. Zigda 3. Wongharey 4. Nouvelles 5. Sarkin Fada 6. Tchana 7. Kountche 8. Banganésiba

“In the music of Tal National you hear the history of Niger as a cultural crossroads along ancient trade routes. Collected within the borders of a former French colony are Songhai, Fulani, Hausa, and Taureg populations all or whom are represented in the musicians of Tal National….These African roots sounds are all delivered with virtuoso precision and an energetic immediacy that reminds you that this is the sound of nightlife in a modern African city.” – Nathanial Braddock / Old Town School of Folk Music