Sounds of Sudan

Throughout the 20th century Sudanese music was enormously popular throughout Africa and the Arab States, but this series was among the first to introduce some of its biggest stars to a European audience. Made after Abdel Gadir Salim,  Abdel Aziz El Mubarak, Mohamed Gubara toured the UK, “Sounds of Sudan” captures different styles of music that were popular in 1970s and ‘80s Sudan: the folksy tunes of  Abdel Gadir Salim, who interpreted traditional songs from his native Kordofan; the arresting voice and tanbūra of Mohamed Gubara, who interprets the poetic tales of his Shaigiyya tribe;  and the urban, “fusion” music of Abdel Aziz El Mubarak, who was quick to soak up  the Ethiopian and Egyptian sounds that were popular in cosmopolitan Khartoum. Even decades later, this collection remains an important insight into the rich, varied, and constantly evolving music of Sudan.