After Ousmane Ag Mossa plays a first brief melodic figure on guitar, Farid Hamidou establishes a soft quater-note rhythm on djembe, and Ousmane elaborates on the melody. Although the feel is rubato, there's already a groove coming together, and the dancers begin swaying. A few moments later, Cédric Maurel enters on drums with Cheikh ah Tiglia on bass and Paul Salvagnac on rhythm guitar, Ousmane sings the first verse, the dancers in the crowd move to the groove, and another Tamikrest song takes shape. As the show progresses, the tempos increase, but the singular Tamikrest groove remains, the dancing gets deeper and deeper, and every song feels like its own eternity. (Andrew Shields, #111Words, 30 May 2026, photos below by me)

A closeup of Ousmane’s left hand on the neck of his electric guitar.
Ousmane’s left hand
A grainy closeup of both of Ousmane’s hands as he plays his electric guitar.
Ousmane’s hands
Ousname dressed in a long white robe, playing his electric guitar in shimmering yellow-white light.
Ousmane Ag Mossa on electric guitar
Cheikh ah Tiglia on bass in a blue robe with a white headdress.
Cheikh ah Tiglia on bass
Farid Hamidou on djembe in a white headdress with a black-and-white pattern in front.
Farid Hamidou on djembe
Paul Salvagnac on his red Gibson guitar, strumming a chord to play that perfect groove.
Paul Salvagnac on guitar.

Tamikrest at Gannet in Basel, 29 May 2026