Black Keys' Auerbach Produces LP For West Africa's Bombino

The new album from West African musician Bombino will be released through Nonesuch Records early next year, with the label confirming that The Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach was responsible for the production of the LP, with Bombino and his band travelling to his Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville to record.

The Niger born musician, born Omara Moctar, became well-known to music fans in the west following the release of his Agadez record, which he made with filmmaker Ron Wyman, in 2011. The record received positive reviews across the board and led to Bombino hitting the road and touring the US and Europe almost constantly since its release.

A member of the nomadic Tuareg Ifoghas tribe, Bombino and his family been forced to flee due to fighting between the Tuareg people and the Niger government a number of times over the years. It was during one of these exiles that Bombino first picked up a guitar, left behind by relatives visiting from the front line of the rebellion, and eventually went on to study the instrument with a renowned Tuareg musician by the name of Haja Bebe.

While elements of Bombino's music will be suited to the style Auerbach is so familiar with – much of his playing is informed by American blues music – the project is a fair way removed from most of the records Auerbach has worked on previously. Auerbach has had a busy year in the producer's chair, working on records with Dr John, Hacienda, JEFF The Brotherhood, Michael Kiwanuka and Grace Potter to name a few.