Ilana (The Creator)

Independent shop in BallardDirections

Available from Light in the Attic Records when we last checked, in the last two days. Sold from the shop’s own store; the price there is the one that counts.

Blistering and hypnotic, 'Ilana (The Creator)' (2019) marked the beginning of a new chapter for Mdou Moctar. It is the Nigerien guitar hero’s first album recorded with a live rock band and perfectly captures the heavy, psychedelic sound – part Tuareg desert blues, part ZZ Top – that the quartet had honed through endless touring and which would come to explosive fruition on 'Afrique Victime' (2021) and 'Funeral For Justice' (2024). 'Ilana' was the first step and its songs remain setlist standbys