Sahel Sounds is a fantastic label. One of my favorite albums recently has been their "Music from Saharan Cellphones", basically a sampler of recordings floating

Sahel Sounds is a fantastic label. One of my favorite albums recently has been their "Music from Saharan Cellphones", basically a sampler of recordings floating around from mostly-unknown bands. One thing that struck me was how much drum machine there was on that album, relative to the more rock-oriented Tuareg desert blues bands, which are driven by acoustic percussion, whether djembe or calabash or a western drum kit. It's like some of the sounds of Euro dance music are getting in to the new stuff, much like how classic rock influenced the older generation.