El Wali (band)

El Wali was a Western Saharan folk music group who recorded an album, Tiris, in 1994. Their lyrics are "politically charged" and call for independence for the Sahrawi people;[1] the album was described as "a call to arms—with national anthems, celebrations of political anniversaries, and religious pleas for peace".[2] According to Sahel Sounds, the American label that reissued the album, it was recorded in Belgium and released in a limited run for the Belgian OXFAM.[2] The band's music first appeared anonymously as "Polisario" on a 2012 compilation from the Sahel Sounds label, Music from Saharan Cellphones, before Tiris was released in 2019.[3]

Ammar Kalia, writing for The Guardian, characterized the music as "80s synth-funk textures and propulsive, danceable rhythms".[1] A reviewer for Spex called Tiris a "soundtrack for the socialist movement in the Western Sahara".[4]

Discography
  • Tiris (1994)

References
  1. Kalia, Ammar (29 November 2019). "Omar Souleyman: Shlon review – the dabke-techno king is passionate as ever". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  2. "El Wali – Tiris". Sahel Sounds. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  3. Gotrich, Lars (8 October 2019). "Viking's Choice: Minimalist Rock And Roll, Sahrawi Folk Music, Motorcycle Synth". NPR. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  4. "Musik von morgen: von Pflanzen, für Pflanzen". Spex (in German). 5 December 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2020.


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