Over the past couple of months, I have been pleased to pass along the announcement that 10 years later, the Sahel Sounds was following up their fantastic Music From Saharan Cellphones compilation with the ground-breaking compilation, Music from Saharan WhatsApp.

“For the year of 2020, Sahel Sounds presents "Music from Saharan WhatsApp." Every month, we'll be releasing an EP from a musical group in the Sahel. Every album will be recorded on a cellphone, and transmitted over WhatsApp, and uploaded to Bandcamp - where it will live for one month only. Available for pay as you want, 100% of the sales will go directly to the artist or group. After one month, the album will be replaced by another one, until the end of the year.”

The label says of this third installment:

“This month we go to Mauritania to one of the premiere players of the tidnit, Jeich Ould Badou. Coming from a hereditary family of musicians, Jeich's tidnit (the Mauritanian lute) is updated, with built in phasers and pre-amps. Jeich is well known in Nouakchott, where he regularly gigs in weddings and invitations. Here he presents a series of WZN recordings, instrumental classic Mauritania music, for dancing: three songs recorded at home with the drum machine, and one live invitation recording with percussion.”

credits

released March 16, 2020

Jeich Ould Badou - Tidnit
Boss DR-770 Drum Machine (Tracks 1, 2, 3)

Recorded by Jeich Ould Badou on iPhone 7, March 2020
Album Art by Christopher Kirkley