Blistering and hypnotic, Ilana the Creator (2019) marked the beginning of a new chapter for Mdou Moctar. It is the guitar hero’s first album recorded with a live rock band and perfectly captures the heavy, psychedelic sound – part Tuareg desert blues, part ZZ Top – that the quartet had honed through endless touring and which would come to explosive fruition on Afrique Victime (2021) and Funeral For Justice (2024). Ilana was the first step, and its songs remain setlist standbys for the quartet’s soaring performances.