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2017 | Compilation | Pop | World
In 1988, on the eve of a two decade civil war, Somalia's authoritarian ruler Siad Barre launched punishing air strikes on the north of the country in response to agitations for independence. The bombing leveled the entire city. Barre targeted local radio station, Hargeisa to prevent any kind of central communication system that could organize a resistance.
With the attack imminent, a few brave radio operators and vanguards of Somali culture knew the archives, containing over half a century of Somali music had to be preserved. Thousands upon thousands of cassette tapes and master reels were quickly removed and dispersed to neighboring countries and buried deep under the ground to withstand airstrikes.
These audio artifacts were excavated and recalled from their foreign shelters only very recently. Some are now kept safe in the archive of the Red Sea Foundation, the largest collection of Somali cassettes in the world.
The archive offers a living window to the Mogadishu of the 1970s and 1980s, when the coastal capital glistened as the "Pearl of the Indian Ocean.
Mogadishu's nightlife culture was rich and booming. Raucous rhythms, rugged horns, celestial synthesizers, and stalking baselines came alive alongside majestic voices like Mahmud "Jerry" Hussen and powerful and adored female singers like Faadumo Qaasim. Somali music of this era is set apart by its empowerment of women. Female singers, often more prolific than their male counterparts, are inseparable from its evolution. Half the compilation is sung by women, their voices often compared in Somali poetry to the sweetness of broken dates.
This project took the Ostinato team from Mogadishu to Minnesota, tracking down the musicians and songwriters on the album.Their words and stories are revealed in a 15,000-word liner note booklet — the only document of its kind to cover this era of Somali music in depth.
Various Artists
(Artist/Musician)
| Label | Ostinato Records |
world pop compilation
Main Image Courtesy: https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2017/oct/02/the-months-best-music-post-malone-bjork-lorenzo-senni.
Background Image Courtesy: https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2017/oct/02/the-months-best-music-post-malone-bjork-lorenzo-senni.
Images And Data Courtesy Of: Ostinato Records.
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