Mdou Moctar

August 26, 2021 8:07 AM

Mdou Moctar stands out as one of the most innovative artists in contemporary Saharan music. Afrique Victime is the fullest portrait of Moctar’s gifts that he has offered yet. Live in Niamey, Niger.

Mdou Moctar | Live at Chicago Music Exchange | Full Session | Sahel Sounds (June 2019)
Mdou Moctar - Full Performance (Live on KEXP) (July 2018)
Mdou Moctar on Bandcamp

posted by dmh (8 comments total)

Labelmates Les Filles de Illighadad are also well worth your time if you're curious about post-Tinariwen Tuareg music. They draw a bit more from traditional tende music, as is clear on a recent live album (At Pioneer Works.) Notably, Fatou Seidi Ghali is one of the only female Tuarage guitarists (so far!)

(Mdou Moctar's coming through my city next month, and I'm pissed I'm going to miss the show: the venue isn't instituting vax requirements until October and with all the colleges filling up, I'm worried we might be in the middle of a burgeoning Delta spike this fall, so I didn't buy a ticket. But it's sold out in the interim, so if the numbers are fine, I probably won't be able to get in.)
posted by ASF Tod und Schwerkraft at 8:56 AM on August 26, 2021 [4 favorites]

Haven't yet followed up on past recommendations to listen to Mdou Moctar, but will now! I would also recommend labelmates Etran de L'Aïr and their album No. 1.
posted by little onion at 9:13 AM on August 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

I highly recommend "Music From Saharan Cellphones". There are three volumes and Mdou Moctar is on one of these. Additionally, you should try to see his homage to Prince with the movie "Rain The Color Of Blue With Red It" - YT link with short extract (apparently there is no word for the color purple in Tuareg language.
posted by IndelibleUnderpants at 9:14 AM on August 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

I have tickets to see these guys fairly soon, I can't wait. Their Cercle video is excellent.
posted by feloniousmonk at 10:14 AM on August 26, 2021 [2 favorites]

At the risk of derailing this, but -- is Moctar still on Sahel? Afrique Victime was on Matador, and I had figured that was a full-time switch.
posted by miguelcervantes at 11:14 AM on August 26, 2021

Cam in to mention to Music from Saharan Cellphones as well.
Sahel Sounds previously
posted by subocoyne at 11:27 AM on August 26, 2021 [2 favorites]

Mdou's "mixtapes" are worth investigating. He highlights his band's work as well as other, lesser-known Sahel artists. Nearly everything he has done is available via Bandcamp.
posted by DeSelbyofDalkey at 1:36 PM on August 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

I got to see both Mdou and Filles d'Illighadad (separately) before the pandemic and I can't recommend them highly enough. Incredibly powerful music.
posted by SystematicAbuse at 4:55 PM on August 26, 2021 [2 favorites]