Super Somali Sounds from the Gulf of Tadjoura

As part of their ongoing relationship with Radiodiffusion-Télévision de Djibouti, Ostinato Records launch the initial instalment of their new Djibouti Archives series to bring the country’s unique sounds to international ears for the first time. The series starts with 4 Mars, the official band of the People’s Rally for Progress, Djibouti’s ruling party since independence. You’d be forgiven for thinking that their music would be stuffy and bureaucratic, but these recordings – made between 1982 and 1994 – can hold their own among the best of African rare groove.

Amid their drum machines, horn sections, synthesizers, electric guitars and array of impressive vocalists, 4 Mars strike at something that represents the essence of their country, where tradition and internationalism are equally important. The music of Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt loom large, and from the other side of the Red Sea, they take elements from Yemen, Turkey and India. They add in reggae, funk and jazz from across the Atlantic, and filter it into their own sound to create something still recognisably Somali in its loping beat and vocal melodies and rhythms. It’s a definitively Djiboutian mix. At their height, 4 Mars were a 40-strong troupe of musicians, singers, actors, dancers and folklorists designed to show Djibouti in the best possible light. Now they get another chance to shine.