Formed in Mogadishu, the Dur-Dur Band stood as one of the beacons in the thriving 1980s Somali disco scene, but by the early ’90s, as war spread into the capital, the band was forced into exile, with its members dispersed across four continents. Not an uplifting story, though The Berlin Session delivers a positive twist, documenting a 2019 reunion in the German capital by the Dur-Dur Band Int., with the reconvened unit dishing out lithe groove heat for vocalists Xabiib Sharaabi, Faduumina Hilowle, and Cabdinur Allaale. As the album unwinds, it’s clear the band hasn’t lost a step. The Berlin Session is out now on vinyl and compact disc through the Out There label.
Outside of Somalia, the Dur-Dur Band is best known for a pair of archival releases. There’s the 2013 2LP/ cassette/ CD Volume 5 put out by Awesome Tapes From Africa, its contents originally a tape issued in 1989, and then the 2018 3LP/ 2CD Volume 1 ★ Volume 2 via Analog Africa, that set collecting a pair of cassettes from ’86 and ’87, respectively (with simultaneous separate reissues of the tapes offered by Analog Africa).
These two sets were part of an hearty (and still ongoing) stream of African archival output, sometimes focusing on single artists or bands such as Mulatu Astatke, William Onyeabor, The Funkees, and the Ngozi Family, at other times assembling the work of assorted performers as the iris tightened onto countries, regions and/or specific styles, e.g. Zamrock, desert blues from the Sahel, the extensive Ethiopiques series, Ghanaian Highlife, and Afrobeat from Ghana and Nigeria.
Ostinato Records has played an integral role in disseminating the sounds of Somalia, beginning with the Grammy-nominated Sweet as Broken Dates compilation in 2017, notably featuring The Berlin Session singer Faduumina Hilowle as part of the Gacaltooyo Band. Additional Somalian music collections from Ostinato include Super Somali Sounds from the Gulf of Tadjoura (Djibouti Archives Vol. 1) by the group 4 Mars, Mogadishu’s Finest: The Al-Uruba Sessions by the Iftin Band, and The Dancing Devils of Djibouti, which offers music recorded in 2019 by Groupe RTD.
And that jibes nicely with the matter at hand, as The Berlin Session was cut across two February days in 2019, the music’s existence spurred by a live performance that teamed the three singers heard on this album, Sharaabi, Hilowle and Allaale, with the eight-piece Dur-Dur Band Int.; that’s Saciid Xuseen on drums, Saalax Xariiri on congas, Cabdillahi Cujeeri on bass, Yusuf Naaji on keyboards, Nabil Sacaani and Cumar Teesiyow on guitars, Morton Zakaria on saxophone, and Akila on claves.
Well, that live event reportedly went down a smash, and the idea to cut a studio record was formulated and executed with little delay, the quickness of the execution reflected in eight tracks that are hot and precise yet brimming with a celebratory buoyance that’s something of a unifying quality in African ensemble music.
Said groove is heard immediately in the Hilowle-sung opener “Wan ka helaa” as the next track “Riyo” maintains the intensity, infused with trad organ and short spurts that are more redolent of synth-era Casio models, an aspect the really comes to the fore in the cut that follows, “Hasha Geel.” The upstroke guitar in the song hint at reggae, but as Out Here’s notes clarify, it’s really derived from Dhaanto, a music and dance style from the Ogaden region (now located inside Ethiopia’s borders) that predates reggae by a good long while.
The reggae-ish Dhaanto aspect remains in “Heeyaa,” but just as pronounced in the track is an Asian flavor that’s recognizable in Somalian music, an influence unsurprising given The Horn of Africa’s stature as a major historical trade route. Contrasting, “Duurka” really underscores those Somali disco scene roots as it supplies a potent soundtrack for some nightlife high-steppin’.
From there, “Love My Love” brings Hilowle back to the mic during a showcase of ensemble dexterity, and “Sallal” offers a more direct groove as the Asian sensibility returns. And while the bass and guitars shine throughout The Berlin Session, those instruments are in particularly strong form in “Jija Love,” the track closing a reunion album for the Dur-Dur Band that’s marked by stylistic range and cohesive vitality.
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