Released: 10/03/23
Any release from the excellent Tuareg musician Mdou Moctar, AKA Mahamadou Souleymane, is a joyous occasion, but these two phenomenal EPs from the guitar virtuoso come with an extra level of interest. The ‘Niger’ series exclusively features recordings made in Moctar’s home country of Niger between 2017 and 2020 (some featuring a drum machine) – documenting the band at weddings, picnics, rehearsals, and even impromptu house concerts. The unheard versions of tracks complied in these two EPs are required listening for any self-respecting fan of Tuareg blues, not least, on Vol 2., a rendering of one of Mdou’s oldest songs, the stunning ‘Ibitlan’ (which has been covered by pretty much every Tuareg guitarist of note), captured at a wedding in Agadez in 2017.