BOMBINO ^NE

The guitarist Bombino is a master of North African desert blues. They call him the Sultan of shred.

When you’re feeling down, there’s nothing that speaks better to your emotions than the blues. And if you’re feeling jolly good, you can rock along to its moaning, groovy tunes.

Good news! One of the world’s greatest living blues guitarist will play Roskilde Festival 2019. No, he’s not from the Mississippi Delta or Chicago’s South Side.

He’s from the dusty outpost of Agadez, Niger, in the Sahara. Oumara Moctar, better known as Bombino, is already a star among the Tuareg – the nomadic Berbers who traverse the countries along the desert – and with his sixth album, Deran, he’s right on the verge of becoming one internationally (he was Grammy nominated for that one).

North African desert blues has become the most successful global genre to break through since reggae, and few have wielded the guitar with such mastery and majesty as Bombino.

His spellbinding virtuosity and urgently dynamic live shows have made fans of fellow musicians from Keith Richards and Robert Plant to Josh Homme and Win Butler and built him a following that’s crossed over from the world music community to the jam-band circuit.

Bombino’s music has a timeless quality, borrowing from Tuareg traditionals and infusing them with an infectious exuberance and considerable improvisation.

When he first played at Roskilde Festival in 2013, he was new in the game. Now, he’s a star!

Regardless if you’re feeling low or festive, you will love the tunes of Bombino.