Sahel Sounds

Sahel Sounds is a project that was initiated by explorer, music archivist, artist, curator and DJ, Christopher Kirkley. Kirkley’s work examines contemporary popular music through a technological landscape from the interplay of local traditions with global influences to new media models of cultural transmission. Through using field recording, interviews, video, the use of youtube, archeology, cellphone data collection, Kirkley has created the archive of Sahel Sounds.

The project began as a blog in 2009, during its establishment; it shared field recordings but has now evolved into an official record label. The blog does continue to serve as a documentation of recordings, and a platform to explore arts and music of the region through non-traditional ethnographic fieldwork.