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The Quietus | Features | Baker's Dozen | Resistance Songs: Mdou Moctar's Favourite Music

From Van Halen to Ali Farka Touré via Bob Marley, Tinariwen and Oumou Sangaré, Mdou Moctar takes us through the thirteen albums, tracks, artists and styles that made him who he is

“He was quite a recent discovery. Eddie Van Halen was someone I found out about when I went for the screening of my film in Portland, Oregon. I’ve got friends there too, and when I played they saw the vibrato I create with my fingers they loved it, and there was someone who said they wanted to introduce me to an artist they thought I would really like. So they played me Eddie Van Halen’s music from when he was younger and I found his solos really incredible, he does the tapping in his way, it was really his own invention and I could tell he’s a real pro. I loved it so I started listening to him and even trying out a few solos – it was a bit tricky for me, but I managed them in my own way.” From Van Halen to Bob Marley & The Wailers to Toumani Diabaté, Mdou Moctar shares his influences for The Quietus’s “Baker’s Dozen” series.