Mdou Moctar is a guitar-shredding genius currently based in Agadez, Niger. A self-taught semi-nomadic Tuareg, he plays in a traditional Takamba style which, when paired with electric guitar, gets seriously psychedelic. His music was passed around via Bluetooth phone file-sharing in Mali and Niger until it came to the attention of Sahel Sounds, who got him to Detroit to record the epic Ilana.