'Hendrix of the Sahara' Mdou Moctar will bring ‘desert blues’ to Providence

Rock 'n' roll will always be an American art form, but this timeless musical style has variations around the world. Germany has krautrock, with bands like Neu!, Can, Tangerine Dream and Die Toten Hosen. Brazil's Os Mutantes pioneered a genre called Tropicália, while Japan has “jet rock 'n' roll,” exemplified by power trio Guitar Wolf.

The Sahara region of northern and western Africa has a variation that some call “desert blues,” rooted in modern adaptations of Takamba and assouf guitar music by the Tuareg people. One of the musicians introducing this style to popular music consciousness is Mdou Moctar, from Agadez, Niger, and he’ll be joined by his band at Providence's Columbus Theatre on Feb. 24.

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Moctar has a local connection to Rhode Island through the work he and his band have done with the recording studio, art gallery and music venue Machines With Magnets in Pawtucket.

His most recent album, "Afrique Victime," released last May via Matador Records, was mixed by Machines With Magnets' Seth Manchester, and Moctar's previous record "Ilana: The Creator" was produced there as well. He likes the studio's relaxed vibe, which he says enables him to create and record at his own pace rather than being rushed.

“It’s not a stressful studio, and as someone who tends to take it easy while recording, that really helps," Moctar says during a recent phone interview, speaking in French through a translator. "That’s always how I’ve felt while recording at Machines With Magnets.”

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Along with the title track, highlights of "Afrique Victime" include “Chismiten,” “Taliat” and “Tala Tannam,” featuring unique guitar structures and harmonious progressions along with Moctar's vocals, mostly in his native language of Tamasheq.

Due to the pandemic, the album was made remotely in two places, with Moctar, rhythm guitarist Ahmoudou Madassane and drummer Souleymane Ibrahim in Niger and bassist and producer Mikey Coltun in the United States.

“For me, the recording of the album went really well,” Moctar says of "Afrique Victime." “Mikey is someone who really knows what the band is looking for today and a sound that we really enjoy. He knows what will make us really happy musically. After all, he’s an artist, too.

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"He may be American and he may have been working in the United States, but let's be reminded that music is like water. It pops up as different versions in different places, but it always remains water in how you can mix it together really well.”

Though he's often referred to as the "Jimi Hendrix of the Sahara," Moctar says he's not sure exactly how to explain his music to an American audience. He prefers to let his talents on a six-string do the talking for him.

“To be honest, I haven’t been lucky enough to study music, sadly, so I don’t really know how to describe it,” he says. “I don’t even know that many bands that Americans might know to compare and reference. All I can say is that I play the guitar, and I can play a little bit of everything.”

If you go ...

What: Mdou Moctar, with special guest Emily Robb

When: Feb. 24, 8 p.m.

Where: Columbus Theatre, 270 Broadway, Providence

Tickets: $20

COVID safety: Proof of full vaccination and mask-wearing are required.

Info: columbustheatre.com, (401) 621-9660

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 'Hendrix of the Sahara' Mdou Moctar comes to Providence Feb. 24