When you think of Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia, what usually comes to mind are violence and destruction. Years of conflict, coupled with the media only focusing on the years of violence, have overshadowed the country’s incredible cultural identity and musical legacy.

But before this ill-fated chapter, Somalia had a thriving cultural scene with a funky, fresh sound that dominated the airwaves—Somali Funk. This genre fused traditional Somali music with the global sounds that people danced to at the time.

According to Vinyl Factory, From the very beginning, the vision had been to fuse traditional Somali music with the sounds that were making people dance at the time: new wave, disco, afrobeat, and funk were played with Banaadiri beats, spiritual Saar music and Dhaanto, a Somali style of music which resembles reggae (and many Somalis proudly believe it to be its precursor). It didn’t take long for Dur Dur to become one of the most popular bands in Somalia.

As Somalia's cultural landscape opened up in the 1970s following its alignment with the United States, embracing funk and disco music, nightclubs flourished, and big hotels hosted live bands.

The 1970s and 80s marked a golden era in Somali music, as Mogadishu and Hargeisa became an artistic hub filled with funk, disco, soul, and reggae music. However, this era was shaped by strict government control under General Siad Barre's rule.

Music production was nationalized, private record labels didn’t exist, and all recordings were made in state-owned studios like Radio Mogadishu and Radio Hargeisa. Musicians were usually paid wages to perform in bands that represented various arms of the government, making them state employees.

By the early 1990s, little was remaining from the golden era of Somali music. Increasing repression, censorship, nationalist ideology, and economic turmoil suffocated artistic expression. When war broke out following the proposed secession of Somaliland, musicians either fled to seek a better life or were forced into refugee camps. Hargeisa was bombed to the ground by Siad Barre’s forces in an attempt to crush the separatist movement.

During this turbulent time, people hid their Somali Funk cassettes to protect them from destruction. Bands like Dur-Dur of Somalia were at the forefront of bringing Somali music to the world. Their music was cherished by Somali communities despite the conflict.

These lost sounds were eventually reintroduced to the world through an unexpected discovery. Milwaukee-based musicologist John Beadle uploaded a cassette he had received from a Somali student many years earlier, raising interest in this forgotten genre. His discovery led to the reissue of Dur-Dur Vol. 1 & 2, the band’s first two albums from 1986 and 1987, by Analog Africa.

Somali culture and music were the first casualties of the war, but they are also a testament that even in times of darkness, music has the power to endure.

Somali Funk is a fusion of disco, afrobeat, and funk, with traditional Somali styles like Dhaanto and Banaadiri beats.

SOMALI FUNK – FROM THE HORN OF AFRICA

Somali Funk is a fusion of disco, afrobeat, and funk, with traditional Somali styles like Dhaanto and Banaadiri beats.

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