Few bands are as inscrutable as the mysterious Texas duo Ak’chamel. They have been known by many names: Ak’chamel The Givers of Illness, The Bandylegged Riders of the Ill-Promised Sun, The Crazed and Sunchalked Bones of the Vanished Herds etc… Honed and expanded through their travels, Ak’chamel’s singular sound comprising desert-scorched psychedelia, post-apocalyptic shamanism, and bizarre ritual folk is as unique as the physical theater of their otherworldly live performances.
Performing in homespun costumes and masks, with self-made instruments, they have played festivals in various cities around the U.S gaining international attention from Vice, The Wire, Tiny Mix Tapes, Consequence of Sound, and many more. They have amassed over 10 cassette albums and 1 VHS full length film, but their music reached a wider audience through two excellent LPs released on the french label Akuphone: “The Totemist” (2020) – which was recorded in a ghost town in Chihuahuan desert in far West Texas – and “A Mournful Kingdom of Sand” (2023) which – according to the band – is “a perfect soundtrack for the desertification of our world”. Their third album, “Rawskulled”, is due to be released in 2024 on Akuphone.
