So TikTok does have a function! Excavated from the app by those seekers of the undiscovered at Ostinato Records, Noori & His Dorpa Band bring the power and passion of Beja culture direct from their home base on the Sudanese coast. Out front, leader Noori plays a self- built, hybrid tambo-guitar, a welded wonder that combines a guitar neck he nabbed from the scrap heap with a traditional tambour lyre gifted from his father. A focal point with a searing electric sound, it’s the source of much of the Dorpa Band’s energy, drive and lift but there’s significantly more to this six-piece from Port Sudan.
A rippling current of hand formed poly-rhythms, bumping bass anchorage and sax player Naji’s scorching horn lines all braid tightly with Noori’s fluent fretwork to create a distinctive Dorpa Band sound. Tune into debut single ‘Al Amal’ if you need further persuasion. An instrumental that skips along to an irresistible ethio-skank with Noori’s crystalline surf-guitar singing out the melody then reaching down for some hunched-in funk. Add in some soulful smoky tenor plus snaking desert-blues twists and there’s confirmation of serious new activity in the global beat arena. With new album ‘Beja Power !’ due on Ostinato from 24th June, you can forget scrolling – Noori & His Dorpa Band are going to be sticking around.
‘Al Amal’ by Noori & His Dorpa Band is available now on all streaming platforms.
You can pre-order ‘Beja Power’ by Noori & His Dorpa Band from your local record store or direct from:
https://ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com/album/beja-power-electric-soul-brass-from-sudans-red-sea-coast
