Africa, Niger

Mdou Moctar

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Mdou Moctar: Niger guitarist soundtracks a Tuareg Purple Rain

Mdou Moctar

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Our love of Tuareg guitars is pretty obvious, so of course I have to write about Niger’s Mdou Moctar. Also, I recently (two years late) started listening to the original soundtrack for Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai, a Tuareg film reimaging Prince’s Purple Rain in the Saharan Desert. This explains why the album cover looks so familiar and why I’m drawn to this record.

The album was produced by Christopher Kirkley, the man behind the sahelsounds project we often cover here.

Moctar kicks off his US tour next month and will be in New York in September and October. Full dates here.

From Bandcamp:

“Rocking soundtrack recording from “Rain the Color Blue with a Little Red in it,” a revolutionary story of guitars, motorcycles, cellphones – and the music of a new generation. Original compositions from Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar from the film about his rise to fame in the city of Agadez. From the raucous heavy psychedelic to the beautiful pentatonic sublime. Includes original compositions and reverb heavy intermissions film score.”

Mdou Moctar: Facebook Twitter

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Asia, Taiwan

YOGOHOWSHIAO

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YOGOHOWSHIAO: the art of the somber soundtrack

YOGOHOWSHIAO

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I love the quiet space YOGOHOWSHIAO creates with just a keyboard – like I’m in a Taiwanese sequel to Lost in Translation and I’m looking out at the dark skyline or an endless countryside and thinking of my own reflection that I caught in the elevator mirror. The SoundCloud has more upbeat, frantic electronic music as well, but I’m all here for any music that makes me want to sit still and close my eyes and transport me to some unknown place in my mind.

YOGOHOWSHIAO: SoundCloud

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Playlists, Songs, Special Playlists, Spotify

Playlist: The 70s – Dazed And Confused

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Just like I made a playlist for the 60s, the good old 1970s gets its own spotify playlist.

I’ve tried to cover as much ground as I could – from disco (Bee Gees, ABBA), Heavy Metal (Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin), R&B, funk, and soul (Al Green, Isaac Hayes, Marvin Gaye), lo-fi and punk (Buzzcocks, The Clash, New York Dolls), soft rock (Fleetwood Mac, Elton John), singer-songwriter (Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor), to good old rock & roll (Bowie, Springsteen, Aerosmith). I also tried to throw in some deep tracks, including songs from Ann Peebles, Candi Staton, The Damned, David Essex, Dr. John, Fela Kuti, Freda Payne, Jorge Ben Jor, The Osmonds, Richard Hell, Rodriquez, The Slits, and more.

And yes, the Guardians of the Galaxy and Dazed and Confused soundtracks are on here too.

Enjoy!

 

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