When Ostinato Records announced the release of an album by a band from Djibouti, I felt interested, curious. Somalian music had crossed borders within the last decade, through the efforts of a few labels such as Awesome Tapes from Africa or Analog Africa, but music from Djibouti remained a mystery. Sure, Djibouti is a tiny country, so the influence of Somalia is huge on both the population and culture.
While chasing Somalian sounds, the guys at Ostinato Records got the idea of asking for the authorization of the Djibouti government to dig into the archives of the national radio. Smart move. Incidentally, they heard a live band rehearsing, and that's how they knew the Groupe RTD. Getting to record the band was apparently another administrative hassle, but Ostinato Records managed to do it. Can't wait to listen to the album, "The Dancing Devils of Djibouti".
The whole story behind the release is told by Radio France International. And more on Bandcamp. And on Okayafrica. And on World Trasures Music.
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