African Futurism Through Sahel Sounds

Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar, all-female guitar band Les Filles de Illighadad, keyboardist Hama and pioneering organist Mamman Sani are just some of the artists who work with Christopher Kirkley who runs Sahel Sounds from Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The project encompasses writing, archives, research, film, and a record label and shines a spotlight on previously obscure artists from northwestern Africa. Now, a decade later, the label has released roughly 60 albums from the region, traveling regularly to record artists. Many of the recordings were done on location and with minimal technology, using a single microphone writes Atiyyah Khan for New Frame.