Mdou Moctar has announced a new collection of songs titled Niger EP Vol. 2. It will be released digitally on October 25. A physical release for both Niger EP Vol. 1 and its upcoming sequel will arrive on March 10. Today, Mdou Moctar has shared the song “Ibitilan,” which you can listen to below.
Producer and bassist Mikey Coltun explained that “Ibitlan” is a love song, saying: “Mdou sings about his love for a woman, comparing her to a beautiful valley with a stream running through it, how her skin is a yellow flower and her smile is like lightning. This particular recording was done in Agadez in 2017 at a wedding. Mdou and I had played three weddings a day for about a month and a half on that trip. It was like bootcamp. I loved it. ‘Ibitlan’ is one of Mdou’s oldest songs and is covered by pretty much every Tuareg guitarist.”
Mdou Moctar’s last album, Afrique Victime, came out in 2021. Since then, he’s released a documentary about the making of the album, the Live at the Niger River performance video featuring songs from the record, and a remix version of the LP, Afrique Refait, featuring only African artists. Mdou Moctar also dropped the new song “Nakanegh Dich” earlier this year.
Read about Afrique Victime in Pitchfork’s list of “The 50 Best Albums of 2021.”
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