If it were up to Mdou Moctar, the fiery, psychedelic rock music that has made him one of the most respected guitarists working today would be kept away from professional recording studios. “With all due respect to all engineers,” the Tuareg virtuoso recently confessed Reverb, “I find it too square.” Late last year, the Nigerian musician gathered his bandmates outside a friend's house in Niamey to test the material from Africa Victim in a more comfortable environment. Outdoors, the quartet quickly attracted an audience: adults dancing, children drumming and others watching in awe as Moktar's songs soared and burst into the desert sky like fireworks.
This shared atmosphere is the perfect setting for Moctar's music, an adrenalized version of assouf or desert blues that seems designed to reach as many people as possible. His songs are often based on monochords or two chords. The lyrics, mostly sung in Tamasheq, delve into political themes, such as imperialism or women's rights, or more romantic concerns, such as young love or the natural world. The magic happens when it starts to shine: a silvery, rippling sound that bounces off every surface like a rubber ball thrown into a small room. While his vocals are delivered in group chants or call-and-response anthems, his guitar is a searing, untamed thing, always the star of the show.
Before assembling his electrifying band—featuring rhythm guitarist Ahmoudou Madassane, drummer Souleymane Ibrahim and bassist Mikey Coltun—Moctar searched for a suitable catwalk for these climbs. A far cry from the bouncy, live sound of the band he now favors, Moctar's album/anar” class=”external-link” data-event-click=”{"element":"ExternalLink","outgoingURL":"https://mdoumoctar.bandcamp.com/album/anar"}” href=”https://mdoumoctar.bandcamp.com/album/anar” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>first studio album suggested a kind of sci-fi folk that would feature his Auto-Tuned vocals over acoustic guitar and drums. He attributes this style to his main influence, Nigerian guitarist Abdallah Ag Oumbadougou, whose hypnotic songs of perseverance and rebellion inspired Moctar to build his own guitar as a child.
As Moctar's recordings have evolved, the constant has been his signature playing. Left-handed and self-taught, Moctar developed a style of brushing the strings with his left index finger in stealthy, continuous motions while his right hand gallops across the fingerboard, creating melodies from nimble hammers, often filtered through a series of pedals. which creates the sound of a metal siren reverberating. As evidenced by a charming interview With Dweezil Zappa, Moctar can easily emulate the style of Western guitarists he admires—such as Jimi Hendrix, a common influence among Tuareg guitarists, or Eddie Van Halen, whose tapping style he has only recently become familiar with. Like these guitar heroes, Moctar's playing has become a recognizable voice regardless of context: whether he's playing acoustic or electric, in a song protesting colonial violence or Bonnie “Prince” Billy Song.
from our partners at https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/mdou-moctar-afrique-victime/
