Hello! 😊👋
Welcome to a new edition of the Daily Music Picks newsletter!
Today’s music pick is an exhilarating collection of Sudanese rhythms guaranteed to seduce.
Genre: African, Electronic
Label: Ostinato
Release Date: June 16, 2023
Vibe: 🤩🤩🤩
There’s something irreplaceably entrancing about the kind of rhythms on Jantra's impeccable new record, Synthesized Sudan: Astro-Nubian Electronic Jaglara Dance Sounds from the Fashaga Underground. Rhythms that get so far beneath the skin that you can feel it taking over your entire body. From early-70s Afrobeat and jazz-fusion to 21st-century interpretations of traditional styles, no region in the world produces infectious grooves like Africa. In that context, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a record quite like Synthesized Sudan, which seamlessly blends various synth-pop, orchestral, and Middle Eastern influences without losing sight of its identity. Jantra, the enigmatic figure at its center, hails from Fashaga, a disputed territory bordering Sudan and Ethiopia. He’s already a star in the underground dance music scene in Sudan, partly thanks to US label Ostinato, which has carved out a reputation for curating must-hear sounds from around the world. Despite the creation process’s somewhat DIY nature, this album has a transcendent quality. Something cosmic, something spiritual. Something not of this world.
A prime example is “Khadija,” one of several standouts. Low-end synth notes roar to life, followed by hand claps and congas before the first kick drum really sets things off. When I first heard it, all I could picture was the spaceship from Close Encounters of the Third Kind landing in the middle of a barren landscape, touching down an extraterrestrial nightclub on a planet that is only too willing to accept its gifts. Other cuts like “Feej” and “Gedima” have a similar sci-fi feel, echoing wisps of 80s-era Vangelis film scores amid its thundering beats. There’s also “Makhafi,” which is less rigid in its construction, with Jantra giving himself more room to play between the lines and showcase his virtuoso talent on the keys. I don’t claim to understand all the cultural intricacies of what’s going on sonically. What I do know is that this record is a knockout. Its Bandcamp page says, “Never without his trusty blue Yamaha keyboard, Jantra joins a wave of synthesizer maestros across Africa revolutionizing the electronic sound of the continent.”
It’s a revolution that I’ll be keeping tabs on moving forward.
👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈