Billie Eilish’s third is a triumph, Shabaka goes woodwind and Yunchan Lim makesthe most thrilling piano debut of the decade … here are our music team’s picks of the best LPs from the first half of the year
May 2024
Mdou Moctar: Funeral for Justice review – desert bluesman on incendiary form
The Nigerien guitarist and his virtuoso band set polemical fury to thrilling musicianship on this no-holds-barred release
April 2022
Mdou Moctar review – passionate shredding by Nigerien guitar hero
Moctar’s Tuareg-language rock has been justifiably compared to Eddie Van Halen – it is utterly thrilling
December 2021
Best music of 2021
The 50 best albums of 2021
Best music of 2021
The 50 best albums of 2021, No 10: Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime
June 2021
The month's best album reviews
Olivia Rodrigo, DMX, Wolf Alice and more: June’s best album reviews
Discover all our four- and five-star album reviews from the last month, from pop to folk, classical and more
May 2021
Mdou Moctar: Afrique Victime review – wild, virtuosic Tuareg blues
The Nigerien guitarist and band sizzle on a deeply satisfying album that pays unusual homage to his early career
March 2019
'We are modern slaves': Mdou Moctar, the Hendrix of the Sahara
His first guitar was made from wood and bicycle parts and his first songs were shared via Bluetooth in the desert. But the Niger musician has become international – and is taking aim at France
December 2015
The playlist
The playlist: the best Middle Eastern and North African music of 2015 – with Insanlar, Melechesh and Mdou Moctar
From a Purple Rain tribute that doesn’t have the word purple to the keyboard king of the Nile delta, here are some of the year’s best soundtracks, metal and more
June 2015
The playlist
The playlist: Middle Eastern and north African – Alif, EEK, Mdou Moctar and more
In the latest of our playlist series, John Doran listens to the freshest Chaabi bangers delivered direct from Egypt, Palestinian protest rap, and the Saharan Prince
December 2014
The playlist
The playlist: the best Middle Eastern and North African music of 2014, with Noura Mint Seymali
From Saudi metal to Egyptian electro, here are some of the very best tracks of the last year from the Middle East and North Africa
September 2014
The playlist
The playlist: Middle Eastern and North African – C-Production, Omar Khorshid and more
John Doran tours through everything from Turkish psych rock and Tunisian break-dancing, to Egyptian surf guitar
