Hailing from the desert city of Agadez in Niger, Mdou Moctar is a genuine trailblazer. With a sound that bridges the ancient traditions of the Sahara and the electrifying energy of modern rock, his journey as a musician is a tale of evolution and experimentation, a relentless pursuit of new sonic frontiers. And yet, for all his open-mindedness as an artist, he believes that the key to creating original music is to shut himself off from the world.
“I still focus on my own work rather than getting inspiration from other guitarists,” he tells Total Guitar, speaking in French through an interpreter. “I even take long breaks from playing guitar to let something new germinate.”
In 2021, his breakout release Afrique Victime was acclaimed by TG as the guitar album of the year. Now comes his most potent and provocative work to date: Funeral For Justice. Recorded in just five days in a largely unfurnished house in upstate New York, the album captures Mdou and his band at their most primal and unrestrained. The music surges with punk energy and scorched-earth guitar heroics.
Mdou’s professional musical journey began with his 2008 album Anar, on which he paired the
