Somali pop music has so far not received much attention in the African Music sphere – unfortunately. There is much to discover since Somalia has a very rich pop music culture and many musicians in the diaspora carry the musical heritage of this country into many different societies worldwide.
One of them is London-based artist Aar Maanta, who explores the rich music traditions – like Dhaanto and the classical Oud-centered Qaraami style of the 1940’s and produces contemporary Somali pop music that includes modern Western elements. In February, he released his second studio album ‘Somali Songs from the Diaspora‘ of which you can listen some snippets below. Listen also to a live version of the eclectic ‘Keenee Gardaran‘ (a track that is also feature on his new album), recorder at Trinity Bristol.
