“stretching blues licks into rolling grooves that never seemed to end”  Rolling Stone

“twanging, jangling, sometimes searing guitar, and jubilant, mellifluous vocal lines.” Aquarius Records San Francisco

“If you liked what Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno presented in their Womad and World Music endeavors, you're going to flip for Akal Warled because it provides an intriguing bridge between West and Near East.” Mark S. Tucker, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange

“The electric guitars accompanied by foot-stomping syncopation, call-and-response vocals and ululations coalesce into what rock ’n’ roll might have sounded like had it been born around a campfire under the desert sky.” David Luhrssen Express Milwaukee

“Imarhan, ...with a more electric, “modern” sound, ... a sell out crowd at La Tulipe. [Montreal]”
Banning Eyre, Afropop Worldwide

”Imarhan gives them room to stretch into new music”
Glynis Hart, Ithaca Times

“a band that reflects the often experimental, fascinating Tuareg adaptation of Saharan nomad music to contemporary, fresh sounds."
Brightest Young Things blog

Mohamed Issa ag Oumar is IMARHAN TIMBUKTU. With sister group, TARTIT, Mohamed Issa was among the first to bring the traditional music of Timbuktu to world audiences. With his own group, IMARHAN TIMBUKTU, he transforms this music with electric instruments and drums into modern desert blues. Refugees from the conflicts in the Sahara Desert his lyrics speak of nostalgia, love, loss and pride.