Etran de L’Aîr - Agadez | Astrid Medina - Tolima, Colombia

At long last we get to enjoy the follow up to one of my favorite albums of the last many years. Back in 2018, Etran de L’Aîr stunned and dazzled us with their debut record, No. 1, and now we’re so excited to be able to offer you this long awaited and much anticipated endeavor. No. 1 was recorded outdoors and in public. The recording session drew the neighborhood out and clapping and hooting by the excited audience can be heard throughout the record. Agadez brings the band into focus in the studio (a mobile studio in their hometown of Agadez, that is) for a much tighter and more refined sound that still prevails in capturing the energy that makes No.1 so addictive. The studio setting though makes the guitar playing sound all the more explosive and impressive. While not as charming as an outdoor recording, it does not disappoint. Far from it. Etran is one of the longest standing bands on the scene in Agadez, Niger. The group features a rotating cast of members all from the same family. When they initially formed in 1995, the current band leader Moussa Ibra was just 9 years old. How cool is that?! The band has come a long way. Starting with just an acoustic guitar and a calabash that they beat with a sandal for a drum and now they are doing European tours. Let’s hope the winds of success land them in North America some day soon as well. - Will Pratt 3/7/22

Astrid Medina - Tolima, Colombia