Listen to 68 tracks that made major statements, boosted big beefs, propelled up-and-comers and soundtracked the party this year. By Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica and Lindsay Zoladz Hear tracks by ...

Nigerien singer, songwriter and guitarist Mdou Moctar is known for his electrifying Tuareg rock performances, but his latest album sees the band unplug. Tears of Injustice, a re-imagining of 2024's ...

There have always been two sides to the music of Nigerien guitarist and bandleader Mdou Moctar: the electric and the acoustic, the sweaty ballroom and the evening campfire, the wedding dance and the ...

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As soon as Mdou Moctar plugs in at the Tiny Desk, the Saharan shred begins. The music feels midstream, as if the licks never cease in his fingers — guitar strings bend with the utmost gentility, but, ...

It is estimated by the EIP that by 2050, 1.2 billion people will be displaced by climate change. The worst effected areas will be places already on the brink of climatic extremes, like Mdou Moctar‘s ...

Correction: A graphic in this piece misspelled the name of bassist Mikey Coltun. The transcript has been updated. We regret the error. Guitarist Mdou Moctar has been ...

In early August of last year, the Tuareg band Mdou Moctar was in the midst of a North American tour, the group’s biggest to date. Its punk-driven energy and transformative, sprawling displays of ...

Mdou Moctar was born to shred. The spirit of rock ’n’ roll lies deep in his soul and pulses through his fingertips every time he grabs his ax. When Moctar was growing up in Niger, his parents ...

Prodigious Tuareg guitarist and songwriter Mdou Moctar boldly reforges contemporary Saharan music and “rock music“ by melding Eddie Van Halen pyrotechnics, full-blast noise and guitar shredding, field ...

Mdou Moctar uses his guitar to emulate the sound of a siren. During the recording sessions for Funeral for Justice, his band’s latest album, Moctar inched his hand toward the high edge of his lefty ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Mdou Moctar performs on the Hydro Quebec stage at Place D'Youville during Day 4 of the 52nd Festival D'été Quebec (FEQ2019) on ...