Music from Saharan Cellphones
| Music from Saharan Cellphones | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album by Various Artists | |
| Released | December 2, 2011 |
| Genre | |
| Language | French, Arabic |
| Label | Sahel Sounds |
Music from Saharan Cellphones is a compilation album released by Sahel Sounds of different songs by various musicians from Western and Sub-Saharan Africa.[5]
Background[edit]
Music from Saharan Cellphones contains an assortment of different songs by various African musicians from Algeria, Niger, Mauritania, Nigeria, Morocco, Mali and the Ivory Coast.[6] Despite their popularity within the region, the tracks which appear on the album achieved little or no commercial release outside the Sahara.[1][4][7]
The album was initiated by Portland-based record label founded in 2008 that specialized in music from the southern part of the Sahara desert. As a way to accurately unveil songs popular amongst local West African residents to audiences abroad, the music was digitally extracted off cellular phone memory cards containing stored .mp3 files known to circulate the area via peer-to-peer bluetooth file sharing. In the process of the album's production, Sahel Sounds tracked down each of the featured composers in order to obtain proper permissions and pay them for using their music. Christopher Kirkley, the founder of Sahel Sounds and producer of the album reported that the artists on Music from Saharan Cellphones were given 60% of its proceed sales.[8][9]
Music[edit]
Music from Saharan Cellphones showcases a diverse mixture of different contemporary African musical styles prevalent across the Sahara.[10]
The featured artists consist of both individual musicians and musical ensembles alike. Songs on the album are exclusively sung in either Arabic and African French depending on the specific song. Some of these singers make use of the Auto-Tune effect and some vocally perform by rapping while others resort to a traditional singing style.[11]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tinariwen" | Group Anmataff | 6:16 |
| 2. | "Abandé" | Yeli Fuzzo | 3:31 |
| 3. | "Alghafiat" | Amanar | 6:37 |
| 4. | "Guetna" | Negib Ould Ngainich | 1:14 |
| 5. | "Yereyira" | Papito (featuring Iba One) | 4:48 |
| 6. | "Tahoultine" | Mdou Moctar | 5:37 |
| 7. | "Moribiyassa" | Kaba Blon | 3:40 |
| 8. | "Faroter" | Joskar & Flamzy | 5:27 |
| 9. | "Aicha" | Bayta Ag Bay | 6:08 |
Legacy[edit]
Music from Saharan Cellphones was followed up by a second compilation album of the same concept, Music from Saharan Cellphones: Volume 2 - released in 2013.[12] The record label furthered the style on the 2022 compilation album Music from Saharan WhatsApp.[13][14]
The song "Yereyira" was sampled by experimental hip hop trio Death Grips for the song "Get Got" from their 2012 album The Money Store.[15][16][17]
See also[edit]
- Music of North Africa
- Music of West Africa
- Music of Western Sahara
- Berber music
- Ethnomusicology
- Tuareg people
References[edit]
- ^ a b Jannello, Anna (June 1, 2021). "The new frontiers of music. The sound of the desert". SouthWorld. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ "vinyl of music from saharan cellphones". Sahel Sounds. December 5, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ Wright, Mic (November 1, 2010). "Desert discs: how mobile phones are at the root of Saharan music". The Guardian. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "Music from Saharan Cellphones Vol. 1". Sahel Sounds. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ "Music from Saharan Cellphones". Sahel Sounds / Bandcamp. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ "tracklist from music from saharan cellphones". Sahel Sounds. October 31, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ "Banned Media Month #3: Music From Saharan Cellphones, by Sahel Sounds (2011)". Sevencut. January 6, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ Trnka, Katey (August 19, 2019). "Sahel Sounds: Connecting Cultures Across Continents". Vortex. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ "Music From Saharan Cellphones On Vinyl". OkayAfrica. 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ Monteiro, Chelsea (November 17, 2018). "Music From Saharan Cellphones, and the Music We Don't Know". Medium.com. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ Brett, Thomas (February 15, 2011). "On Music From Saharan Cellphones". Brettworks. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ https://sahelsoundscompilations.bandcamp.com/album/music-from-saharan-cellphones-volume-2
- ^ https://pan-african-music.com/en/music-from-saharan-whatsapp/
- ^ https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/sahel-sounds-music-from-saharan-whatsapp-interview
- ^ https://www.whosampled.com/album/Death-Grips/The-Money-Store/
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdMPVuKX-I0
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3bhyPFFy2o