Afrique Victime
Mdou Moctar, 2021, from Afrique Victime. Solo by Mdou Moctar.
Desert blues at warp speed.
Afrique Victime is a showcase for Mdou Moctar's fiery, hypnotic guitar playing, rooted in Tuareg desert blues but pushed to rock intensity. His solos are fast and relentless, built from rapid hammer-ons, pull-offs and repeated phrases that create a trance-like effect. The long jam builds steadily, with the band driving harder as the guitar climbs. Moctar, who plays left-handed, draws on the style of Tuareg guitarists who came before him while adding his own energy. His tone is bright and slightly overdriven, cutting through the dense rhythm. Listen for the moments where he repeats a short phrase over and over, gradually increasing the intensity until it breaks into a new idea.
Afrique Victime by Mdou Moctar is ranked #272 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Mdou Moctar and the song was released in 2021. It appears on 1 lists, placing as high as #53 (Rolling Stone).
In our lists
- The Greatest Solo of Every Year — #78
- The Greatest Desert Blues Guitar Songs — #2
- 2010 to Now — #4
- Best of the 21st Century — #5
- Rolling Stone vs. Everyone — #6
- The Best Mdou Moctar Guitar Solos — #1
Sources
- Guitar World: The greatest guitar solos of the 21st century... so far — #5
- Rolling Stone: The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — #53
Who played the guitar solo on Afrique Victime?
Mdou Moctar played the solo on Mdou Moctar's Afrique Victime (2021).
What guitar was used on the Afrique Victime solo?
A fender stratocaster, according to widely reported accounts.
Where does Afrique Victime rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#272 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 1 of them.