What does Mogadishu sound like? Well, before it sounded like strife and civil war, Somalia’s coastal capital had a bangin’ music scene, and the people at Awesome Tapes from Africa wanna share a little piece of that magic with you, in the form of a reissue of Dur-Dur Band’s 1987 Volume 5 cassette.
Dur-Dur Band were one of the leaders of Mogadishu’s musical community, fusing elements of traditional Somali music with Western jazz and pop vibes and adding in a dash of Middle Eastern flava. Established in the early 1980s, Dur-Dur Band pack a lotta punch into their lineup, with four featured vocalists — including the celebrated Sahra Dawo — as well as backing vocalists, plus trumpet, sax, keyboard, congas, drums, bass, and guitars. The reissue of Volume 5 is a moving tribute to the vibrancy of Mogadishu arts and culture before the bad stuff happened. Awesome Tapes from Africa is bringing Dur-Dur Band back on CD, LP, digital download, and limited-edition cassette on February 5.
• Awesome Tapes from Africa: http://www.awesometapes.com
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