A soundtrack of Sudan's revolution and the first ever international release of the Beja sound, performed by Noori and his Dorpa Band, an unheard outfit from Port Sudan, a city on the Red Sea coast in eastern Sudan and the heart of Beja culture.

Electric soul, blues, jazz, rock, surf, even hints of country, speak fluently to styles and chords that could be Tuareg, Ethiopian, Peruvian or Thai—all grounded by hypnotic Sudanese grooves, Naji's impeccable, airy tenor sax, and of course, Noori's tambo-guitar, a self-made unique hybrid of an electric guitar and an electric tambour, a four-string instrument found across East Africa.

A truly ancient community, Beja trace their ancestry back millennia. Some say they are among the living descendants of Ancient Egypt and the Kingdom of Kush. Beja melodies—nostalgic, hopeful and sweet, ambiguous and honest—are thousands of years old.

The Beja community has been on the forefront of political change in Sudan for decades because successive Sudanese governments have turned a blind eye to their calls for recognition and access to the gold wealth of their own soil. Noori believes an unleashing of Beja music would form the most potent act of resistance in their quest for equity and justice.

BEJA POWER! Electric Soul & Brass from Sudan's Red Sea Coast

PRE-ORDER

Saagama

Noori & His Dorpa Band perform live at Le Guess Who? 2022, presented in collaboration with Ostinato Records.

About:
Noori's musical journey began far before Ostinato Records scouted his mysterious band in late 2021. In the nineties, the then eighteen-year-old came across a guitar neck in Port Sudan. Forging it with the vintage tambour his father had gifted him, he created the electrified tambo-guitar. Ever since, Noori has used his creation to uplift the ever-resilient Beja community, whose long history is rife with oppression from the Sudanese government. Their album 'Beja Power!' is the Beja people's first international musical encounter, and, with Ostinato Records, Noori & His Dorpa Band have created a moving, necessary archive of the radiance in resistance. 

Recorded at TivoliVredenburg’s Grote Zaal on Thursday, 10 November 2022.

Recording and mix by Marc Broer 
Photography by Jelmer de Haas

Noori & His Dorpa Band - Saagama

TazWaves - Sudan - السودان

"Fragment" from my EP "Pseudarhythm Vol. 2"

Listen/Purchase: https://sufyvn.bandcamp.com/album/pseudarhythm-vol-2

Fragment

"Dust" from "Ascension EP"

Stream/Purchase here:
https://sufyvn.bandcamp.com/album/ascension-ep

Ascension EP

Dust

IG: @habibifunk // soundcloud.com/habibifunk // facebook.com/habibifunk /

Vinyl

Kamal Keila - Taban Ahwak (Release coming soon)

This is a true revelation from Ostinato Records who bring us a rare taste of Sudanese Shaigiya culture. This mesmerizing music is anchored by the dynamic five string tambour of Abu Obaida Hassan, a man presumed to be dead until the deep digging label discovered him quite alive and ready to share his sounds once again. The archival recordings feature entertwined call and response vocals, Nubian rhythms and virtuosic tambour. This piece, which premiered on Frosty’s weekly Open End radio program, shines moonlight on the beautiful album release, Abu Obaida Hassan & His Tambour - The Shaigiya Sound of Sudan.

@ostinatorecords
@freeform-frosty
http://redbullradio.com/shows/open-end-frosty
http://redbullmusicacademy.com

Abu Obaida Hassan & His Tambour - Qamar Al Massa (Moon of the Night) [Open End Premiere]

The first single from our upcoming compilation "Two Niles to Sing a Melody: The Violins & Synths of Sudan"

Performed, written, and composed by Saied Khalifa. Licensing courtesy of Saied Khalifa’s son, Montasir Saied Khalifa. Recorded in the 1970s in Khartoum, Sudan.

"My father wandered all over Africa, all over Arabic speaking countries. I remember a trip he took to Ethiopia. There was Haile Selassie, the emperor at that time. There was a big celebration and Haile Selassie was sitting there and they announced my father to come sing. But they didn’t find him, and somebody else sang. Finally my father showed up. When they didn’t find him, it’s because he was trying to translate his songs into Amharic to sing for them! Even Haile Selassie smiled when my father sang. And this is a big thing — because he was known for being a tough character and he didn’t smile at all."

-- Saied Khalifa's son, Montasir Saied Khalifa (excerpt from the liner notes interview)

Read more here: 

Quartz: https://bit.ly/2n0d625
Okay Africa: https://bit.ly/2GjoMG5 | https://bit.ly/2McX7IU
Music in Africa: https://bit.ly/2Oyw3FP

Two Niles to Sing a Melody: The Violins & Synths of Sudan

BUY NOW!

Saied Khalifa - Igd Allooli (The Pearl Necklace)

Ostinato Records continues its exploration of overlooked musical zones with a new album focused on Sudan. Two Niles to Sing a Melody: The Violins & Synths of Sudan reveals vibrant, poetic music from Khartoum’s golden age alongside material put to tape by artists forced into exile following 1989’s hardline coup. One of these latter songs is by Samira Dunia, who like many Sudanese musicians, found herself recording in Egypt and achieving success within the region. Her 1997 track “Galbi La Tahwa Tani (My Heart, Don’t Fall in Love Again) is steady bouncer with a rubbery bassline, cracking hand drums, expressive violin sweeps and Dunia’s melismatic vocals cutting through the groove to paint the sky. This is a tune born for looped listening. The compilation is out September 14th but Frosty premiered this early taste on Open End, his weekly Red Bull Radio show focused on wide world cruising.

@ostinatorecords
@freeform-frosty
http://redbullradio.com/shows/open-end-frosty
http://redbullmusicacademy.com

Two Niles to Sing a Melody

Samira Dunia - Galbi La Tahwa Tani (My Heart, Don’t Fall in Love Again) [Open End Premiere]

A drum-driven Nubian rhythm taken from the latest compilation by @ostinaorecords, honouring Sudan's golden age of music pre the 1989 religious political coup. 

Read more & buy: http://www.stampthewax.com/2018/07/31/premiere-kamal-tarbas-min-ozzalna-seebak-seeb-forget-those-that-divide-us/
Listen on Youtube: http://bit.ly/kamal-min

Listen on Youtube

Kamal Tarbas - Min Ozzalna Seebak Seeb (Forget Those That Divide Us) (STW Premiere)

Abdel Gadir Salim - Quidrechinna (Blues of Khartoum) Sudan North Africa

The Red Bull Music Academy is a world-travelling series of music workshops and festivals: a platform for those who make a difference in today's musical landscape. Here, you'll find exclusive downloads and streams from Academy participants, family, and friends.

Abu Obaida Hassan & His Tambour - Qamar Al Massa (Moon of the Night) [Open End Premiere]

Red Bull Music Academy

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