It’s understandable if you’re not familiar with Mdou Moctar, but one thing is certain: you’re soon sure to see his name just about everywhere interested in essential music.
Not entirely unlike a Tuareg Jimi Hendrix, the guitar virtuoso has perfected a blend of rockin’ that’s, as tired as the claim may often be, entirely his own. Blending the sounds and feelings of his homeland with influences from Black Sabbath to Hendrix to (may he rest in peace) Eddie Van Halen, the music of Mdou Moctar is unlikely to be quite like anything else you’ve heard in a good, long time.
Speaking on their organic, infectious blend and the live experience he and his band seek to bring their recorded material, Moctar muses, “At our concerts we never talk about the music we are going to play, never write out a setlist, it’s whatever comes to my head that I’m feeling. My band is always with me listening.“
New single, and first since signing with Matadar Records, “Chismiten” puts this energy on full display, with layers of riffs and musicality twisting together into a muscular, almost mystically delirious blend.
Check out the song below, and look out for Mdou Moctar’s debut with Matador come next year. True, it’s a long wait, but if this song is any sign, it’ll be well worth it.
To get out ahead of the news of Mdou Moctar’s first record for Matador, make sure you follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Bandcamp.
