Etran de L’Aïr, which plays Bayboro Brewing in St. Petersburg, Florida on April 30, 2025. Credit: Photo by Larry Hirshowitz

Of course Sahel Sounds is based out of Portland. The recording project and vinyl record label is hyperfocused on the Sahel, a zone between the Sahara Desert and the tropical savannas that stretch between Senegal and Somalia.

Nigeria’s Etran de L’Aïr released a new LP on the imprint last fall, and 100% Sahara Guitar finds the legends of Agadez making desert blues that are a little less freewheeling or proggy than Mdou Moctar or Tinariwen. Instead, the quartet puts to tape bright, almost choral, desert blues that’s rooted in the tradition of its home country, too.

Tickets to see Etran de L’Aïr play St. Petersburg’s Bayboro Brewing on Wednesday, April 30 are on sale now and start at $18.

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This article appears in Feb 13-19, 2025.