mali

Tamikrest are a group of young Touareg musicians from the far north of Mali.

Khaïra Arby (sometimes spelled Haira) "The Nightingale of the North" is a singer from Mali. She is from the desert- from Agouni, north of Timbuktu, Mali, and cousin to Ali Farka Touré. She sings in Sonrai, Arabic, Tamashek, accompanied by instruments and rhythms just as varied, with electric guitar and trickling beats, calabash, traditional violin and guitar, and drumming that creates that abrupt squared sound of the music from that part of Mali.

Amadou and Mariam are a musical duo from Mali, composed of the couple Mariam Doumbia (vocals) (born in Mali's capital Bamako 15 April 1958) and Amadou Bagayoko (guitar and vocals) (born in Bamako 24 October 1954). The pair, known as "the blind couple from Mali" met at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind, and found they shared an interest in music. The duo produces music that mixes traditional Mali sound with rock guitars, Syrian violins, Cuban trumpets, Egyptian ney, Colombian trombones, Indian tablas and Dogon percussion.

Tinariwen (Tamasheq for "empty places") is a musical band formed in 1982 in Moammar al-Qadhafi's camps of Tuareg rebels. They play French- and Tamasheq-lyrics songs in the Tishoumaren ("music of the unemployed") style, mostly concerning independence for their people from the government of Mali. Having recorded many albums available on cassette over their eighteen years, in December 2000 the group recorded their first album for the CD format, The Radio Tisdas Sessions, their first recording available outside Africa.