Sound Travels in North Africa this week with more vibes from the region today. We've been covering a wide range of styles this week, from Rai and pop sounds on Tuesday and Wednesday, Saharan desert blues yesterday and into the Sudan for today's trip. An ancient land, Sudan was Nubia in antiquity and well known for its music.
These days, conflict and complication dominate the headlines about this region, but the music still shines. Intrinsically a mix of Arab and African peoples, the music from the Upper Nile region refects this. Middle-Eastern tonalities and scales with intricate percussion played with a trance-inducing grace. I love it, and am glad I could play something you'd almost never hear on the radio, if not for Sound Travels...just sayin.
Hamza El Din "Song With Tar" Escalay
Wafir "Sukkar" Nilo Azul
Fathi Abou Greisha "Hager" Egypt Noir Nubian Soul Treasures
Ali Hassan Kuban "Habibi" Walk Like A Nubian