Tamaas Festival: Ibibio Sound Machine | Bombino | Sami Galbi

Discover new global sounds as artists who bridge modern approaches with traditional roots come together.

Three bands, two stages:

• Sami Galbi (Switzerland and Morocco): A high-energy multi-instrumentalist blending North African Raï and Chaâbi with the raw analog textures of Swiss electronic and urban club culture - 7pm on The East Plaza, standing/general admission.
• Bombino (Niger): The "Sultan of Shred" and desert blues icon fusing hypnotic Tuareg rhythms with raw rock-and-roll energy - 8:15pm in The Red Theater, reserved seating
• Ibibio Sound Machine (UK): A genre-defying afro-futurist collective blending West African rhythms, electronic textures, disco, post-punk, and global club energy - 9:30pm on The East Plaza, standing/general admission

Sami Galbi

Swiss and Moroccan multi-instrumentalist and producer emerging from the alternative scenes of Switzerland, Sami Galbi draws from his parallel musical universes to create his own sound. On both hands, he embraces North African Raï and Chaâbi and lends it up with some of the electronic beats and textures that shaped his upbringing. His influences feature US hip-hop, UK bass, House, and Afro-Caribbean dance music. Using analog machines, raw synthesizers, and electric guitar, Sami delivers on stage a “High Energy” performance, borrowing from the codes of postmodern urban music.

Bombino

Bombino is a powerful advocate for peace and Tuareg heritage. He uses his Tuareggae fusion of desert blues and rock to preserve his culture while championing a future rooted in dignity and dialogue.

Born Goumour Almoctar in 1980, Bombino is a world-renowned Tuareg guitarist and singer from Tidene, Niger. A member of the Ifoghas tribe, his life has been defined by the shifting sands of the Sahara and the tumultuous history of the Kel Tamasheq people. Forced into exile in Algeria and Libya during the Tuareg rebellions of the 1990s, Bombino taught himself guitar by mimicking the "ishoumar" (rebel) music of his peers and studying videos of Western legends like Jimi Hendrix. His virtuosity eventually caught the attention of filmmaker Ron Wyman, leading to the breakthrough 2011 album Agadez.

Subsequent collaborations with high-profile producers like Dan Auerbach (on the Billboard #1 album Nomad) and David Longstreth (Azel) catapulted him to international stardom. In 2019, his album Deran made history when he became the first artist from Niger to receive a Grammy nomination. 

Ibibio Sound Machine

Ibibio Sound Machine is one of the most compelling and forward-thinking bands emerging from the UK scene - a genre-defying afro-futurist collective blending West African rhythms, electronic textures, disco, post-punk, and global club energy into a sound that’s as powerful on record as it is explosive live. Formed in London in 2013 around the magnetic vocals of British-Nigerian frontwoman Eno Williams and co-founder Max Grunhard, the ensemble has built a formidable body of work and a loyal global following.

Their discography spans five critically-acclaimed albums that showcase their evolution from afro-electronic innovators to dancefloor commanders. They’ve performed around the globe, including high-profile sets at Glastonbury, WOMAD Australia & NZ, Wilderness, 6Music Festival, Green Man, Rock En Seine, and many more, as well as supporting Coldplay at Wembley Stadium, and appearing on Later…With Jools Holland twice and a KEXP live session. Their 6th album will be released later in 2026 on Merge Records.