The 50 best albums of 2021, No 10: Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime
The self-taught assouf star broke out of the underground with a stunningly adventurous album that fused psychedelia, introspection and rock-star flair
In Mdou Moctar's world, riff and rhythm count but the solo is king. His grounding in the nomadic Tuareg style of assouf (desert blues) made him a popular option on Niger's wedding circuit, but the guitarist breaks from convention by doggedly following his fingertips to someplace new. A decade's worth of refinement has led to Afrique Victime, the most complete document of Mdou's ability to date and one of 2021's most electrifying releases.
The young Mahamadou Souleymane was not just self-taught, but self-assembled: he fashioned his first instrument from bicycle wires and junk wood and discreetly maintained his passion for music in defiance of his family. His early recordings crossed the Sahel via Bluetooth and pricked ears for their application of AutoTune and drum machines - common in the charts of neighbouring Nigeria but unfamiliar in Tuareg tradition.
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