The masterful Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar has followed up last year’s Afrique Victime with a surprise live release. Niger EP Vol. 1 was recorded live in Moctar’s native Niger. It features “drum machine versions” and live takes of six existing songs. And as bassist Mikey Coltun explains, it represents a natural extension of Moctar’s history:

In 2021, we started the Mdou Moctar mixtape series. These releases compiled field recordings, cell phone voice memos, interview clips, conversations captured in the tour van, and blown-out board recordings from shows all over the world. As a continuation of those mixtapes, we present the Niger EPs, which examine the roots of the Mdou Moctar band. Early Mdou recordings were contained on cassettes, though the humble tape was soon replaced by the quick and easy facility of cell phone technology. Long bus rides are common in West Africa. On one of these rides, you might be seated next to a stranger and ask, “What are you listening to?” Then a song exchange would begin over Bluetooth. This is a very real way artists found their music distributed far from home. In that vein, the Niger EP series features solely recordings taped in Mdou Moctar’s home country of Niger. Volume 1 begins the series with a mix of recordings from 2017-2020, documenting the band at weddings, picnics, rehearsals, and even impromptu house concerts. A must have for any Mdou Moctar fan!

Stream the EP below, and then find out where you can see the band in action in the coming weeks. (That drive from Tucson to Nelsonville is going to be brutal.)

TOUR DATES:
08/24 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
08/25 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
08/26 – Port Townsend, WA @ THING Festival
08/27 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
08/27-28 – Pasadena, CA @ This Ain’t No Picnic
08/31 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s
09/01 – Tucson, AZ @ Hoco Festival
09/03 – Nelsonville, OH @ Nelsonville Music Festival
09/06 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall

Niger EP Vol. 1 is out now on Matador.