Last year, the members of Mdou Moctar convened in Niger to complete their then-unfinished album, Funeral For Justice, and to capture a series of live sets in the region surrounding Agadez, a historically important hub.
Today, we are posting the first of these sessions: ‘The Agadez Folders: Live at Sultan’s Palace.’ It features Mdou Moctar performing a complete electric live set at the King’s Palace in the city’s center. They are joined by traditional dancers, swordsmen, and upwards of 20 camels with the Agadez Grand Mosque visible against the horizon.
Mdou Moctar – The Agadez Folders: Live at Sultan’s Palace
Mikey Coltun on ‘The Agadez Folders: Live at Sultan’s Palace’:
In Mdou Moctar, it is not out of the ordinary for well-laid plans to collapse at the last- minute. For example, this happens a lot with flights being canceled. Maybe one of us doesn’t get a visa to travel somewhere in time. Maybe all of us don’t. Maybe someone at the embassy in Niger puts the visa sticker on page #1 – you know, that important page that has all your personal information like your name or birthday. As a result, we’ve all gotten good at reacting and maneuvering, and adapting an initial plan into something … even better!
When we got to Agadez winter of 2023, the first thing we did was drive around all together and scope out locations. We walked up a small building that overlooked the famous Agadez mosque and said ‘Alright, we’re gonna film here as the sun comes up.’ Another idea was to film under a well known bridge that connects the road from Agadez to Arlit – ‘Let’s set up a generator and play here! The kids will love it.’ Those were two examples that didn’t end up happening because it was either not allowed or we overslept. That’s where the creative part comes in.
On our way to film at a location out in the bush, Mdou suddenly stops the car to talk to a guy walking a couple camels. They exchanged numbers. Unbeknownst to me, Mdou was plotting to get 50 camels to show up at the king of Agadez’s palace where the famous Agadez mosque is.
This was an idea we had discussed, but much like some of our other concepts, I just kinda said ‘cool’ and assumed it would fall through. On our last day together in Agadez, we showed up to the Sultan’s palace, set up, and then waited around for a few hours. Was the show gonna happen? Maybe a few hours later, 15-20 men riding camels showed up. I didn’t count because I was so shocked Mdou was able to pull it off – calling this random guy we met in the desert with some camels, who then made some calls to get a bunch of Tuaregs (the youngest was probably 5 years old) to ride out from their village 3-5 hours away to be there for this
special performance! Holy shit.
When we started playing, Tuaregs dressed in traditional Agadez clothing armed with hand drums started dancing and drumming. There were even a couple friends of ours who showed up with some swords and performed a traditional dance together as we played. This was all totally unplanned. Mdou, Ahmoudou, Souleymane and I are all wearing the signature Mdou Moctar colors – Tuareg purple mixed with white, which is the same color of the Mdou Moctar bird symbol
The band was recently profiled in The New Yorker, with Hanif Abdurraqib writing, “The new album teems with the band’s signature brilliant noise, with the ferocity of Mdou’s guitar playing as its backbone. But it also overflows with a sort of rageful questioning, with a series of direct addresses that make the listening experience feel like a form of bearing witness.”
Out now, Mdou Moctar’s Funeral for Justice has been met with universal acclaim,
including ecstatic reviews at Pitchfork (8.4, Best New Music), Stereogram (Album of the Week), Rolling Stone (****), SPIN (A), to name just a few.
MDOU MOCTAR – FUNERAL FOR JUSTICE
“Funeral for Justice” is, in many ways, an album of protest, of resistance, of displeasure, but it is not an album of giving up or giving in. Its thrilling sonic energy, propelled by rage, operates against defeat.” – The New Yorker
“A cri de coeur of screaming guitars and lyrics decrying the legacy of colonialism in Niger and throughout Africa.” – New York Times
“The proud sound of rebellion.” – Pitchfork (8.4 – Best New Music)
“One of the most electrifying units in the world.” – Stereogum (Album of the Week)
“The band’s most forceful album yet, tailor-made to melt minds at massive festivals.” – Rolling Stone (****)
“Electrifying” – SPIN (A)
“Thrilling” – The Observer (*****)
“Extraordinary” – Pop Matters (10/10)
“This is a band and artist working at their peak,” – AllMusic (****½ )
“Let’s keep it simple: this thing fucking rips.” – Under the Radar (9/10)
“Furious and defiantly political” – NPR
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