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, haunting 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.

Read the full story and finer details: www.okayafrica.com/sudan-music-noori-dorpa-band/
credits
released June 3, 2022

Tambo-Guitar: Noori
Tenor Sax: Naji
Bass: Gaido
Rhythm Guitar: Tariq
Congas: Fox
Tabla: Danash

Produced by Omer Alghali, Janto Djassi & Vik Sohonie
Recorded & Mixed by Janto Djassi
Mastered by Michael Graves (Osiris Studio)
Design by Pete 'Piwi' White
Recorded in Omdurman, Sudan
Special thanks to Ogali Creative Events, Tamador Sheikh Eldin Gibreel & Sonarworks