Words by Justin Turford
Rarely do we hear or see something that hasn’t already been at least partially documented in our joined-up, over-communicated world but the music of the Beja culture is definitely a deeply hidden jewel that we can only now marvel together at thanks to Noori & his Dorpa Band (and to Ostinato Records!).
The backstory on this release is an unwinding tale of cultural repression, lost artefacts and of ancient history brought to the fore by the most modern (at time of writing) of communication channels - Tik Tok. The folks from Ostinato Records returned to Khartoum in late 2021, to attempt to document the sounds of an evolving, democratic revolution that had been happening since 2019. During this search, a random video of a band on Sudanese Tik Tok prised open the door to the wonderful music of Noori and the lost cultural wealth of the Beja community.
At the sonic heart of this Beja blues is a truly unique instrument that Noori, as a young musician in the early 90s, created (in that time-honoured African way of turning ‘junk’ into reinventions of genius) from a scrap yard guitar neck and a vintage four-string tambour that he was given by his musician father. Welding and tuning it himself, Noori brought into existence the electrified tambo-guitar, literally the only one in the world, and the vessel through which the young man would dedicate his time to keep Beja (pronounced Bee-Jah) music breathing.
Like many cultures trapped within the bastard regime of Sudan’s former President, Omar al-Bashir, a cultural ‘cleansing’ was attempted to erase Beja language, music, and culture. Who needs a culture when there is gold to be mined and sold? Who will miss the Beja people? Unfortunately, these conditions continue to this day and Noori sees the ancient melodies of Beja music as being at the forefront of resistance to these genocidal vandals. This is not just a historical diary entry, this is protest music.
Noori & his Dorpa Band
Historians suggest the Beja may be among the living descendants of Ancient Egypt and despite there being possibly no older recordings of Beja music still in existence, these six tracks contain living melodies that span millennia, instrumental documents of a rich history that survives. Musically, however, it would take an ethnomusicologist of great knowledge to define exactly where this music belongs. With the addition of modern instruments such as the saxophone and the electrified buzz of the tambo-guitar, would this be recognised by the Beja of two thousand years ago? We can recognise melodic and rhythmic motifs from the wonderful musicians and fellow East Africans of Ethiopia, there is clearly the scorched desert blues of the North African Tuareg bands, and even that Lebanese guitar twang that inspired Dick Dale’s surf sound (who was actually of Lebanese heritage, real name Richard Anthony Monsour) and guitar virtuosos such as the great Omar Khorshid. There is that spiralling Thai-funk guitar sound beloved of Khruangbin’s Mark Speer and so much more of the worlds musical templates that perhaps, these songs contain hints of the beginning of all the music we listen to? A Big Question that I can’t possibly answer but allied with the the brilliantly hypnotic percussive grooves that are peculiar to Sudan, Noori and his band have offered us music of great emotional magic. Somebody cried, laughed or worked to these melodies a thousand years ago by the Red Sea, humming the songs of their people, never dreaming that an international audience would in the impossible future, enjoy this music so much and be a witness to its continuation. It is a privilege to be one of that audience. 10/10
BEJA POWER! Electric Soul & Brass from Sudan’s Red Sea Coast is released on June 24 2022
’BUY HERE! https://ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com/album/beja-power-electric-soul-brass-from-sudans-red-sea-coast