Mdou Moctar: Tiny Desk Concert

Lars Gotrich | September 10, 2024 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, in an instant, set fire to the fretboard. Born and based in Niger, Moctar comes from the Tuareg tradition: hypnotic desert blues that swim in rock distortion. (Think Tinariwen, Bombino and Al Bilali Soudan, all of whom have played Tiny Desk in their own distinct styles.) For more than a decade, Moctar has built an extensive repertoire that not only mesmerizes musically but also speaks to the joy of his homeland and resistance to those who exploit its people. Unlike his acoustic-driven Tiny Desk (home) concert, Moctar and his berobed band here play up the chunky riffs and body-rattling volume of 2024’s Funeral for Justice: Orange amps, Fender Strats and, for this occasion, a kick-and-djembe combo that absolutely whips. Moctar’s aim is true: a plea, in Tamasheq,