Music from the country of Niger. Field recordings from Agadez to Niamey, from Hausa film soundtracks, Zarma spiritual music, to contemporary instrumental synth from Niamey.
Happy 2017, and onto a new year. Stumbled across this beautiful piece of technology in Niamey last month. The masons were busy working on a friends house, and the distorted wail was amplified by the concrete room that was slowly being constructed around it. The mason informed me that…
It's been quiet around here lately as we've been doing this and that, but there's still so much to share in the archives! Today's tracks come from a mysterious cassette from Djadje, one of Niamey's last cassette vendors at the Niger's Grande Marche (there are two - the other vendor…
John Sofakole - Anashua (1989) I found John Sofakole's cassette in a dusty dark corner of the Centre de Formation et de promotion Musicale (CFPM), Niger's formerly prolific center for modern music in Niamey. The CFPM once housed an active studio, and the archives read a bit like detritus of…
Forty years coming, Azna de L'Ader finally has an official release! One of the seminal rock bands from Niger, Azna was hardly known outside of the country - and mostly confined to the Tahoua region of Niger. The LP version features highlights of their recording history, restored and remastered from…
Mona - Hey Joe Mona is an imposing figure. He once stood much taller than he does today - age has taken it's toll, and he walks slowly, slightly hunched over. But when he steps out of the shadows in a purple frilled jacket and pants to match and sporting…
