Fatou Seidi Ghali & Alamnou Akroun - Les Filles de Illighadad (2016)

 

GENRE : African guitar, tuareg guitar, world, minimalist folk

RECORD LABEL : Sahel Sounds

Fatou Seidi Ghali is one of only two known Tuareg women guitarists in Niger, and she's sublime. Recorded in the open air of the desert, this is wonderful minimalist Tuareg folk music, mostly centered around fingerpicked guitar (some of it obviously improvised) but occasionally accompanied by beautiful heartfelt vocals and some tende - a Tuareg drum made out of a mortar. I thought I heard a bit of some kind of flute instrument in there too, but I'm not entirely sure. What I do know is that this is beautiful music. Check out the video of Fatou Seidi Ghali playing under a tree, posted down below. 

Stream/Download the album here :

https://lesfillesdeillighadad.bandcamp.com/album/les-filles-de-illighadad

Harry Towell & Guy Gelem - Restful Spaces (2022)

 

GENRE : modern classical, ambient, minimalist, neoclassical,

RECORD LABEL : Polar Seas Recordings

This is a long distance collaboration of two musical composers and fathers to be - sound artist/musician Harry Towell (aka Spheruleus) from the UK and cellist/musician Guy Gerem from Israeli. They created this album while expecting the arrival of their respective daughters, Emily and Neta. Their aim was to create a restful listening space for their children, and in doing so have created one for adult listeners too. This is a restful listening space for lovers of all things peaceful and ambient.

These beautiful gentle lullabies are a wonderful remedy to the current state of this world. Our lives are so noisy and frantic and busy, and there's so much cruelty and hatred all around us... it's so lovely and comforting to be able to slow down, kick back and immerse ourselves in Towell & Gelem's gorgeous aural world.

There's a delicate child-like playfulness to the shimmering ambience of these pieces. The instrumentation plucks and tinkles and chimes away to the backdrop of birdsong and other miscellanous field samples, while the cello soars and swells over it all in such a yearning and wistful way. A beautiful album for a not-so-beautiful time.

If you like this album, you should have a browse through the Polar Seas Recordings back catalogue of releases on their Bandcamp page. Lots of stunning releases in there.

Stream/Download here...

https://polarseasrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/restful-spaces

Polar Seas Recordings...

https://polarseasrecordings.bandcamp.com/

Isnaj Dui - Abstractions on Solitude (2012)

GENRE : electronic, ambient, electro-acoustic, minimalist

RECORD LABEL : Hibernate Recordings

Isnaj Dui (aka Katie English) is a minimalist composer that makes beautiful instrumental music using flutes, dulcimer and an array of different electronic gear. She has released a number of albums, but I decided to click on this one, purely because the title was calling me. It's a wonderful album in which atmospheric flutes and dulcimers ebb and flow and sweep and soar over abstract electronic glitches, creating this rich dreamy organic ambience. Everything about this music is understated and minimalistic, meditative and slow. I'm looking forward to checking out the rest of her releases sometime.

Taken from her Bandcamp page...

''It is within these subtle electronic glitches that the album's beauty can be found, as restrained shards of noise, circuit boards, reverb and light rest comfortably on a soft and atmospheric bed created by the acoustic instrument sounds.''

Stream/Download the album here :

https://isnajdui.bandcamp.com/album/abstracts-on-solitude

Tidiane Thiam - Siftorde (2020)

 

GENRE : African guitar, world, minimalist folk

RECORD LABEL : Sahel Sounds

Tidiane Thiam is a Senegalese musician, folklorist, photographer and artist from Podor - a small riverside town in the North of Senegal. Inspired by a deep knowledge and understanding of Sahel folklore and borrowing from ancient melodies, Tidiane Thiam plays beautiful finger-picked minimalist African folk guitar music. Recorded at night at his home in Podor using a single microphone against the backdrop of crickets and other night sounds, this is deep reflective music for the soul. Enjoy.

Stream/Download the album here :

https://tidianethiam.bandcamp.com/album/siftorde