Music from the Sahara, Mdou Moctar’s road back begins with the first single from Funeral for Justice.
The musical work of Mdou Moctar It stands out for its particular identity coming from the Tuareg communities of the Sahara Desert. Today, the group shares the premiere of the lead single for their next album Funeral for justice. The new album is the follow-up to the acclaimed Afrique Victim which was released in 2021 and was produced by the band’s bassist, Mikey Coutun.
Mdou Moctar It is a project that is based in Nigeria. The leader, vocalist and guitarist of the group, Mahamadou Souleymane, began his musical journey by discovering the roots of Tuareg guitar music that included Western blues and jazz influences. His proposal of modern rock combined with the Tuareg guitar tradition became known through the project Music from Saharan Cellphones, which compiled mp3 files that were distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Now, the creativity of Mdou Moctar focuses on expressing their experience as political subjects from the African reality and conveying that message through their music with the premiere of Funeral for Justice.
This album is very different for me… Now the problems about terrorist violence are more serious in Africa. When the United States and Europe came here, they said they were going to help us, but what we see is really different. They never help us find a solution,” he mentions. Mdou Moctar about the political panorama surrounding Africa at the time of making Funeral for Justice.
Although the musical proposal of Mdou Moctar has always been accompanied by a decolonial message and a very strong political voice, Funeral for Justice promises to be the most politically charged album yet. After their experience of being stranded in the United States after the violent coup d’état in Nigeria, the group’s political unrest intensified and will be channeled through their new album. The lead single is aimed completely head-on at African political leaders, you can find its video right here.
We also share the cover and the tracklist officers of Funeral for Justicewhich will be available on May 3 via Bullfighter.
Tracklist:
01 “Funeral For Justice”
02 “Imouhar”
03 “Takoba”
04 “Sousoume”
05 “Imagerhan”
06 “Tchinta”
07 “Djallo #1”
08 “Oh France”
09 “Modern Slaves”
