Mdou Moctar immediately stands out as one of the most innovative artists in contemporary Saharan music with his unconventional interpretations of Tuareg guitar. In 2019, he was described by the Guardian as ‘the Hendrix of the Sahara’. With “Afrique Victime” out on Matador Records, the prodigious Tuareg guitarist and songwriter rips a new hole in the sky – boldly reforging contemporary Saharan music and “rock music” by melding guitar pyrotechnics, full-blast noise, and field rec...
Mdou Moctar immediately stands out as one of the most innovative artists in contemporary Saharan music with his unconventional interpretations of Tuareg guitar. In 2019, he was described by the Guardian as ‘the Hendrix of the Sahara’. With “Afrique Victime” out on Matador Records, the prodigious Tuareg guitarist and songwriter rips a new hole in the sky – boldly reforging contemporary Saharan music and “rock music” by melding guitar pyrotechnics, full-blast noise, and field recordings with poetic meditations on love, religion, women’s rights, inequality, and Western Africa’s exploitation at the hands of colonial powers.
If “Ilana” was a late ’60s early ’70s ZZ Top and Black Sabbath record – “Afrique Victime” is mid-’70s to early ’80s Van Halen meets Black Flag meets Black Uhuru. The ferocity of Moctar’s electric guitar and the band’s hypnotic rhythm section are on awe-inspiring display “Chismiten” and the mournful yet incandescent title track. Elsewhere, Moctar finds inspiration in highlighting lesser-known facets of the group: “While people have gotten to know Mdou Moctar as a rock band, there is a whole different set of music with this band done on acoustic guitars, which we wanted to incorporate into this album in order to go through a sonic journey,” he says. Mdou pays homage to one of his heroes Abdallah Ag Oumbadagou, the legendary Niger musician and political revolutionary, on songs “Ya Habibti” and “Layla”. “Abdallah was a contemporary of Tinariwen and helped to pioneer the sound of Tuareg guitar music blended with drum machines and electronic sounds”.
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THE GUARDIAN
The song ‘Tala Tannam’ featured in the video above is a love song. “My love no matter where I go, you’re always on my mind I treasure you You know I never want to see you in tears I used stones to write your name in a heart Water can never wash it away because it’s surrounded by trees You know I never want to see you in tears Your laugh pleases me I adore your eyes and body shape My love no matter where I go, you’re always on my mind I treasure you You know I never want to see you in tears” – Lyrics to Tala Tannam
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