Explore · Niger · Tuareg guitar
From Agadez
to Tuareggae.
The journey behind the groove.
A guitar can carry a world
Listen to the
space between
the notes.
Start with a repeating phrase. Listen as it shifts, opens out and circles back. The band holds the pulse; the guitar begins a conversation.
Bombino’s playing invites you to stay inside a groove. Its power lies as much in patience and repetition as in the sudden flight of a solo.
Listen to Bombino ↗01 · Roots & return
A sense of home,
carried in song.
Omara “Bombino” Moctar was born near Agadez in Niger. As a child in exile in Algeria, he began teaching himself on guitars left by visiting relatives. Back in Agadez, the musician Haja Bebe became an important mentor.
His songs are rooted in Tuareg life and language. Music became a way to express belonging, protect cultural memory and speak for peace. In 2010, he played a peace concert at the Grand Mosque in Agadez, marking a return after another period of exile.
02 · A rhythm of his own
TUAREG
+ REGGAE
= TUAREGGAE
On Azel, Bombino brought the lilt of reggae into his Tuareg blues and rock vocabulary. He calls the combination “Tuareggae”. The album was recorded with Dave Longstreth of Dirty Projectors, whose production helped open up new textures around the band.
Listen for the relaxed bounce beneath the guitar: a rhythm that leaves room for each phrase to breathe. The music can feel unhurried even as the playing gathers speed.
Watch the Azel-era KEXP session ↗03 · A listening journey
Five records.
Many ways in.
Follow the guitar through a series of different rooms, collaborators and ideas.
- 2011
Agadez
The international breakthrough, released by Cumbancha. A starting point for hearing the electric intensity and the song traditions at the heart of Bombino’s music.
Explore Agadez ↗ - 2013
Nomad
Recorded in Nashville with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. A new studio encounter brought Bombino’s guitar to a wider rock audience.
- 2016
Azel
With producer Dave Longstreth, the palette opens out: vocal harmonies, acoustic detail and the buoyant meeting of styles Bombino calls Tuareggae.
Explore Azel ↗ - 2018
Deran
An album recognised at the 2019 GRAMMY Awards with a nomination for Best World Music Album.
GRAMMY nomination ↗ - 2023
Sahel
Recorded in Casablanca with producer David Wrench. Songs about the Tuareg community sit alongside personal reflections on love, family and youth. “Tazidert” asks for patience; the music invites movement.
Inside Sahel ↗
04 · The next chapter
The story
keeps moving.
In 2027, Bombino returns to Europe with a new album. The next opportunity to hear where that restless guitar will take him — and to experience the band on stage.
Meet Bombino · Tour 2027 ↗
European tour · 2027
New album. New concerts.
Ask GRIOT about dates, routing and production.