 
Now here's a truly rough spot for adventure travel. Despite the vastness of the Sahara and its generally unforgiving climate, it has attracted more and more travelers as the annual Festival in the Desert attests. I love the African desert: you can sleep on the ground under the vast starry heavens and there's no bugs or insects to pester you; there's beauty in the landscape (like acres of semi-precious-looking stones that you pick up and then drop when you can't carry them further), as well as surrealism (bones, decayed abandoned things). The sand makes a great bed. Be sure you have plenty of water. By all means drink the mint tea strangers will proffer you but don't eat the dates: they've been handled so much they carry staph infections! Assuming you don't get lost (as I did in the Nubian desert for a few panic-stricken days), take time to enjoy the music of the Nomads. This wonderfully crafted compilation starts with Andalusians melodies from the farthest Northwestern stretch of the continent and criss-crosses the Sahara like a crazy caravan in search of sound. There's traditional Tuareg music on here alongside wild rock 'n' roll, and many things in between. Tartit, Tinariwen and Malouma are the only familiar names, but the others are equally compelling and this is a top-notch assembly. There's a group of three songs in the middle of the album highlighting the Sahraoui of what was called Spanish Sahara, an area now under attack from Morocco who claim it as a contiguous bit of their own fiefdom. Nayim Alal's "Bleida" has very "out" guitar and one of the most unusual things I've heard in a long time. It starts with great promise but degenerates into a Jethro Tull rave up betraying the Brit roots of the compiler. A blend of tradition and rock is achieved by Mariem Hassan on "Id Chab": her singing is pure but the guitarist has been listening to "Run thru the Jungle" by John Fogerty. Seckou Maiga is tipped as an up-and-coming Songhai artist to watch. He turns in a desert blues that is the most familiar-sounding thing on here. Kel Tin Lokiene are reprised from Festival in the Desert with their thudding "washing-machine" sound. Things go out gently into the night with the gasba blowing its hot breath off into the dunes and the plaint of Sahraoui Bachir. - Alastair Johnston
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Rough Guide
to the Sahara