Mdou Moctar announces new album, Funeral For Justice
Mdou Moctar has announced a new album. On May 3, the Tuareg guitarist and his band will release Funeral for Justice via Matador. Today, they’ve shared the title track. Hear it below.
The album was finished before Niger’s democratically elected government was deposed in a coup, and the band, while on tour in the U.S., had temporarily been unable to return home to their families.
“I don’t support the coup,” Mdou said, “but I never in my life liked France in my country. I don’t hate France or French people, I don’t hate American people either, but I don’t support their manipulative policies, what they do in Africa. In 2023 we want to be free, we need to smile, you understand?”
Chicago musician and artist Damon Locks wrote a statement about the record, which reads in part: “A sound that carries weight makes an impact. A sound that carries time transcends time. We are not only listening to music but we are living through it. We are living with it. We are living in it. The artist sees history and makes poetry from it for the present. Mdou Moctar’s ‘Funeral for Justice’ requests your presence. Show up open to the celebration of life, loved as it should be loved. Experience the exaltation and exuberance. The words speak of ascension, awareness, sorrow, apathy, knowing, and growth. The guitars speak of power, energy, jubilation, transcendency, immediacy, and tradition. The drums and percussion mark the pulse of now as well as a timeless dance that involves us all, as it did those that came before us. The wires that carry the message feel alive with fire and purpose, explosive with possibility. This “funeral” is an acknowledgment. This “funeral” is abundant. This “funeral” overflows into the street filled with dance. This “funeral” stretches late into the night, kicking up the dirt, with the hum of a generator, an ever present member of the rhythm section. This “funeral” is a clarion call for reason and a belief that change is possible.“
Funeral For Justice follows 2021’s Afrique Victime.
Mdou Moctar Funeral For Justice tracklist:
1. Funeral for Justice
2. Imouhar
3. Takoba
4. Sousoume
5. Imagerhan
6. Tchinta
7. Djallo #1
8. Oh France
9. Modern Slaves
Mdou Moctar tour dates:
April 14 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music and Arts Festival
April 21 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music and Arts Festival
June 5 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Anchor Rock Club
June 6 – Harrisburg, PA @ The Abbey Bar at ABC
June 7 – Richmond, VA @ Cheers Brown’s Island
June 8 – Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom
June 9 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
June 11 – Charleston, SC @ Pour House
June 12 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
June 13 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
June 14 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
June 15 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Hi-Fi
June 18 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
June 19 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Bag
June 20 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
June 21 – Buffalo, NY @ Asbury Hall
June 22 – Greenfield, MA @ Green River Music Festival
June 23 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
June 26 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
June 27 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
June 28 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
July 3 – London, UK @ Electric Brixton
July 7 – Beuningen, NL @ Down the Rabbit Hole
August 19 – Berlin, DE @ Festaal Kreuzberg
August 20 – Leipzig, DE @ UT Kreuzberg
August 21 – Munich, DE @ Ampere
August 22 – Milan, IT @ Magnolia Summer Stage
August 25 – Paris, FR @ Petit Bain
August 26 – Antwerp, BE @ OLT Revierenhof
August 27 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
August 30 – Dorset, UK @ End of the Road Festival
August 31 – Manchester, UK @ Manchester Psych Fest
September 1 – Birmingham, UK @ Moseley Folk Festival
September 2 – Glasgow, UK @ Saint Luke’s
September 3 – Newcastle, UK @ Boiler Shop
September 4 – Leeds, UK @ The Brudenell Social Club
Mdou Moctar : Funeral for Justice
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