Desert Blues · Genres
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What is desert blues?

The Desert blues is a unique fusion of the electric guitar sound and indigenous musical styles of Saharan nomads. One of the best known Tuareg bands Tinariwen was founded in the 1980s.

Artists to start with

  1. Tamikrest
  2. Koudede
  3. Terakaft
  4. Vieux Farka Touré
  5. Imarhan
  6. Mdou Moctar
  7. Kel Assouf
  8. Songhoy Blues
  9. Etran Finatawa
  10. Tinariwen

Albums to hear first

  • Vieux Farka Touré by Vieux Farka TouréVieux Farka TouréVieux Farka Touré
  • Aboogi by ImarhanAboogiImarhan
  • Elwan by TinariwenElwanTinariwen
  • Aman Iman: Water Is Life by TinariwenAman Iman: Water Is LifeTinariwen
  • Amatssou (Deluxe) by TinariwenAmatssou (Deluxe)Tinariwen
  • Tin Hinane by Kel AssoufTin HinaneKel Assouf
  • Chatma by TamikrestChatmaTamikrest
  • Ilana: The Creator by Mdou MoctarIlana: The CreatorMdou Moctar

Desert Blues songs

  1. Tiwàyyen by Tinariwen
  2. Cler Achel by Tinariwen
  3. Toumast Tincha by Tinariwen
  4. Assàwt by Tinariwen
  5. Ittus by Tinariwen
  6. Kek Alghalm by Tinariwen
  7. Imidiwaren by Tinariwen
  8. Oualahila Ar Tesninam by Tinariwen
  9. Tenere Den by Tinariwen
  10. Anemouhagh by Tinariwen

Neighbouring genres

In the jazz & blues family. All genres

bluescool jazzbossa novaacid jazzblues rockbebopavant-garde jazzdelta blueschicago bluesdark jazzcountry bluesjazz punk

Questions

What is desert blues?
The Desert blues is a unique fusion of the electric guitar sound and indigenous musical styles of Saharan nomads. One of the best known Tuareg bands Tinariwen was founded in the 1980s.
Who are the best-known desert blues artists?
By Last.fm listening: Tamikrest, Koudede, Terakaft, Vieux Farka Touré, Imarhan and Mdou Moctar.
What genres are similar to desert blues?
On Risocast it sits with blues, cool jazz, bossa nova, acid jazz, blues rock and bebop.

Risocast is free. Install it once and it logs everything you play.

Download for WindowsFree · v4.0.10Open RisocastRight here · Spotify or Last.fm

Updated 7 October 2026

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215 songs logged today

Download for WindowsFree · v4.0.10Open RisocastRight here · Spotify or Last.fm

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How it works

Play music the way you already do. On Windows, Risocast notices whatever you're playing, in Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Deezer, your browser or foobar2000, with nothing to set up.

On Android the app does the same for any music app (it's coming to Google Play). Anywhere else, connect Spotify or Last.fm.

When a song countsAfter half its length, or four minutes, whichever comes first.Very short tracks are left out.Songs you play offline are added when you're back online.

More on automatic logging · Risocast vs Last.fm

Taste twins

See how much your taste overlaps with anyone's, and find the people who listen most like you. The match comes from what you both actually play, not a list of favourites.

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How the match works

Weekly Disc and Taste Map

Every week becomes a disc of your top songs. Every record you play goes on a map, grouped by genre.

Weekly DiscTaste Map

Real ones, from the maker's own listening.

Download Risocast

Risocast is free for Windows 10 and 11. Android is coming to Google Play; on any other device, use the web app with Spotify or Last.fm.

Download for WindowsFree · v4.0.10Open RisocastRight here · Spotify or Last.fm
  • Version 4.0.10 · Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) · about 100 MB
  • Updates itself: new versions download in the background and install on restart.
  • Every installer is published with its SHA-256 checksum on the releases page.

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Risocast Help

A music diary that writes itself, and a place to find people who love the music you love. Play music anywhere (Spotify, YouTube, your phone) and Risocast remembers every song. Each week it presses your listening onto a Weekly Disc you can share, and it introduces you to your taste twins: people whose music matches yours. Free, no ads, and it looks like Windows 98.

The people whose music matches yours most. Risocast compares what you actually play, not a list of favourites, and shows how much your taste overlaps with anyone's, so you can find them, see what they're playing and say hello.

Your week in music, pressed onto a CD: a ring for each song you played most, coloured from its cover. It's made fresh every week, to keep or share.

Yes. Risocast is free, with no ads, and nothing you play is ever sold.

Almost certainly. Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Deezer, music in your browser and nearly any app on your Windows PC or Android phone are remembered on their own. A few desktop players (VLC, iTunes, MusicBee) need a free add-on first. You can also connect Spotify, or bring your history over from Last.fm.

It keeps the same kind of diary of everything you play, without setting anything up for each app, and it's built around something Last.fm isn't: finding the people who love the music you love.

Your profile is public so people with your taste can find you, unless you make it private (then only your buddies see it). Your email never is. Nothing is sold and there are no ads; anonymous usage analytics (Microsoft Clarity, Google Analytics) show us what to improve. The privacy policy has the details.

Yes. Songs you play offline are remembered on your device and added when you're back online.

Once you've heard half of it, or four minutes, whichever comes first. Very short tracks (30 seconds or less) and long videos or podcasts (over 20 minutes) are left out, so your top songs stay songs.

More in Help, the guides and the privacy policy.

Features
Automatic loggingWeekly DiscTaste MapTaste matchProfiles and statsMusic windowsBPM, key and soundSong stripLikes that syncPlay in your appFindPeople and buddiesCompare tasteAnthemsGenre labelsAndroid appImport and connectWindows 98 lookAndroid widgets
19 object(s)Open as a list
Guides
Track music on WindowsLog YouTube MusicApple Music statsFind people like youPlayers that workLog VLCLog foobar2000Log MusicBeeiTunes on WindowsLog DeezerLog TidalLog SoundCloudAmazon MusicWindows Media PlayerSpotify historyTop songs of all timeWhat genre is it?Describe your tasteExport your dataComing from Last.fmWidget for every appPC music from your phoneWindows 98 home screen
23 object(s)Open as a list
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Risocast vs Last.fmLast.fm alternativesRisocast vs stats.fmWrapped any time
4 object(s)Open as a list
215 logged today