Mogadishu’s swinging era revisited on The Berlin Session

3 Mar 2023 - 15:07

Not many people know this, but Somalia was once home to a vibrant music scene. In the 1970s and 1980s, the country pulsated with music emanating from the dance halls and beachfronts in the capital Mogadishu. Local music groups blended influences from the regions surrounding the Indian Ocean with pre-colonial musical styles and Western pop as Somalis danced the nights away.

Dur-Dur Band Int. Photo: Danish Saroee

Then, in the 1990s, all this changed as the country descended into a civil war, bringing cultural life to an end. Most creatives went into exile and only audiotapes from the radio archives in Mogadishu and Hargeisa – saved from the war years and a ban on music – testify to this rich musical heritage.

Dispersed to different countries, many musicians were not only disenfranchised but lost, and could only long for the good old days. But as the instability showed no signs of abating, the wait went from desperate to hopeless. Until something unexpected happened...

In 2015, a Berlin-based musician, producer and DJ, Nicolas Sheikholeslami, was introduced to Somali music and immediately took a liking to it. To share his passion, he compiled a mixtape that captured Somalia’s funk, soul and disco era. The compilation, Au Revoir, Mogadishu Vol. 1: Songs From Before The War, sparked a massive international interest for Somali music from the golden era.

This was followed by another collection, Sweet As Broken Dates: Lost Somali Tapes from the Horn of Africa (Ostinato Records, 2017), which received a Grammy nomination in 2018.

These compilations exported Somali hits from the archives to the world, leading to HKW, the German national centre for the presentation and discussion of international contemporary arts, to ask Nicolas to organise a show with a selection of Somali artists from this period in 2019.

To do this, Sheikholeslami reached out to Liban Noah, a Somali revivalist and community advocate based in London. The organisers settled on Dur-Dur Band Int, a powerhouse of Somali live music based in London, UK, and headed by one of the greatest voices of Somalia’s golden era, Fadumina Hilowle. The show would feature guest appearances by two other icons – Xabiib Sharaabi, who now lives in Sweden, and Cabdinuur Alaale from Djibouti.

“Liban was to man to make it happen because he was actively involved in the Somali cultural scene at home, before he fled in the ‘80s into exile,” Sheikholeslami explains during a video call from Croatia alongside Noah from London and Hilowle from Mombasa, Kenya. “He had helped connect me with Somali artists when I was seeking permission to use their music for my compilations.”

When the performers entered the HKW what awaited them was a triumphant and emotional reunion. The war in their homeland had sent them into exile and anonymity, stranded and estranged. Now, at long last, after almost 25 years apart, these musical teammates were finally reunited to perform live at a venue coincidentally resembling Somalia’s National Theatre.

“When we arrived at HKW, I remember how the guys were so happy,” Sheikholeslami recounts. “It felt like they had finally gotten back to the environment their souls belong to and I felt this strong feeling of spiritual homecoming in the room. The sessions were fun, as we didn’t intend to record an album but rather rehearse for the upcoming show in two days. Hopefully this spirit comes across on the album in the end.”

In the last decade, many early recordings of Somalia’s funk, soul and disco scene have been reissued, finding their way into the vinyl collections of music fans outside the Somali community, and onto radio and streaming playlists. But The Berlin Session is different. It is not a reissue; it’s the first new studio recording by a full group from Somalia since the country’s golden era of music ended three decades ago.

“Let’s shake off the dust, boys! (Inta ka hurguf)” is what singer Hilowle and Dur-Dur Band Int’s regular vocalist exclaims at the beginning of the album. This opening statement is an invitation to get into the vibe, also aimed at the other two vocalists, Sharaabi and Cabdinuur Alaale.

For ‘Love My Love’, recorded live at HKW, the band lays down a funky groove as Hilowle sings a song immortalised in the 1980s by her late cousin, Faadumo Qaasim, perhaps the most recorded voice of Swinging Mogadishu. On ‘Jija Love’, a Somali adaptation of Fela Kuti’s classic ‘Lady’, Sharaabi pays a deeply felt homage to Afrobeat and its empowering heritage.

During the call, Hilowle says nothing gives her greater pleasure than performing. “I come from a musical family and as such, the opportunity to be part of such a major project after many years was an amazing experience. I enjoyed every bit of it and look forward to promoting the album.”

In recent years, new listeners outside the Somali community have discovered Somali music on popular reissues, but for Noah, The Berlin Session goes far beyond the gems collected from dusty cassettes. For this impresario, bringing the project to life was one of his greatest accomplishments.

“These legends are living representatives of a distinct era and proof that Somali music is alive. I was truly honoured to have been involved in bringing them together,” Noah says.

Listen to and buy The Berlin Session here

Tracklist