Moussa Tchingou

Young Nigerien guitarist Moussa Tchingou hails from the ancient city of Agadez. Now 29, he initially started playing a makeshift DIY guitar coupled together from a large water jug, a stick, nails and cords from a motorcycle clutch rope at age 12. He later honed his skills with a real acoustic guitar, getting into electric guitar and electronic production as well. He released his first album in 2013 and soon became one of the most prolific and in-demand guitarists in local weddings and ceremonies.
Most notably, Moussa has built a repertoire of countless studio recordings, produced in local studios, and self distributed via mp3s, cellphones, and YouTube videos.

His recent music is highly influenced by Bollywood artists like Chatou Khan and Rhaoul, taking the rhythmic piano melodies and translating them to the guitar, while singing the words in his own language, Tamachek. This selection highlights some of his recent work with a future interpretation of the Tuareg guitar genre. While he loves writing for and performing with acoustic instruments, he doesn’t shy away from incorporating a more electronic sound.

His sound varies from the classic Agadez guitar virtuoso twang to more heady, heavy fuzzy vibes and also highly melodic pieces that sound incredibly fresh, bringing hypnotic polyrhythms, cybernetic Autotune, and smashing drum programming.