Group Inerane hail from Agadez, Niger. They are a byproduct of the Tuareg rebellion of the 1990s. The Tuareg rebellion is cyclical and historic, reaching back to the beginning of the 20th century and continuing into the 21st. The Tuareg people of Northern and Western Africa -- particularly from Niger and Mali -- sought self-governance over their historical homeland, which exists somewhere between the two nations. The musical heritage that Group Inerane came out of has its roots in the refugee camps of the Saharan desert.

Group Inerane is led by guitarists Bibi Ahmed and Koudede Maman. The band's membership is ever changing, and can include up to a dozen members at any given time depending on the number of vocalists and percussionists. Group Inerane is in the second generation of the "desert blues" tradition. The first included Mali's Abdallah Oumbadougou, and the now-internationally renowned Tinariwen.

While Groupo Inerane's sound is well-grounded in the tradition of Tamashek guitar music from their region, their brand of the Tuareg blues is a modern construct: it melds slowly evolving, momentum-building, even aggressive guitar riffs, mesmerizing, minimal rhythmic patterns, near-psychedelic distortion and fuzz, chanted vocals, and a dynamic, forceful drum kit attack. Some critics claim to have heard similarities to the Velvet Underground, Link Wray, and even elements of Creedence Clearwater Revival's spooky long jams in their sound.

The band issued its debut album, Guitars from Agadez (Music of Niger) in 2007 on Sublime Frequencies and have been on the label ever since. Their second album, 2011's Guitars from Agadez, Vol. 3 (Guitars from Agadez, Vol. 2 was released by the third generation Tuareg guitar army Group Bombino). It was followed by the 7", three-track single Guitars from Agadez, Vol. 4, which was released to coincide with Group Inerane's first European tour. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi