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Volume 5

by Dur-Dur Band

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Double LP of the legendary Somali pop-funk group's tape, made in Mogadishu in 1989.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Volume 5 via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $23 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $6 USD  or more

     

  • Cassette + Digital Album

    Back in press by popular demand! Dur-Dur Band's 1989 recording Vol. 5 on tape, which was released on Awesome Tapes From Africa in 2013 on all formats.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Volume 5 via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $12 USD or more 

     

  • Dur-Dur Band Volume 5 CD
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    CD of this wonderful reissue by Somali pop music legends Dur-Dur Band.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Volume 5 via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

1.
2.
Hayeelin 05:40
3.
Halelo 06:28
4.
Fagfagley 04:44
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Dholey 07:06
10.
Amina Awdaay 03:55
11.
Dooyo 03:49

about

From the late 1960s until the early 1990s, a vibrant music scene in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu was teeming with pop and folk musicians exploring the boundaries of regional sensibilities. With influences spanning several genres of Somali traditional music, often meshed with Western pop, jazz and Middle-Eastern elements, a swirling diversity of sounds were being created, consumed, supported and encouraged.

Dur-Dur Band emerged during a time when Somalia’s distinctive contribution to the creative culture in the Horn of Africa was visible and abundant. Thousands of recordings made at the Somali National Theatre, Radio Mogadishu and other studios, were complemented by the nightclubs at Hotel Juba, Jazeera Hotel and Hotel al-Curuuba, creating a flourishing music scene. 

Bands like Dur-Dur, Iftin, Shareero, on one hand, were inspired by everyone from Michael Jackson and Phil Collins to Bob Marley and Santana, as well as James Brown and American soul music. Equally active were groups performing regional folk musics and promoting the traditional side of Somali music. These groups helped develop a continuity with historical musical practices and oral literature that persist in popularity to this day. Seminal outfits like Waaberi and Horseed, in addition to a litany of celebrated qaraami musicians, generated a legacy of masterworks. These seasoned musicians’ efforts rippled through the music scene and spread to countries beyond as many artists began to emigrate when the country destabilized.

This recording, which was remastered from a cassette copy source, is a document of Dur-Dur Band after establishing itself as one of the most popular bands in Mogadishu. The challenge of locating a complete long-player from this era is evidenced by the fidelity of this recording. However, the complex, soulful music penetrates the hiss.

By 1987 Dur-Dur Band's line-up featured singers Sahra Abukar Dawo, Abdinur Adan Daljir, Mohamed Ahmed Qomal and Abdukadir Mayow Buunis, backed by Abukar Dahir Qasim (guitar), Yusuf Abdi Haji Aleevi (guitar), Ali Dhere (trumpet), Muse Mohamed Araci (saxophone), Abdul Dhegey (saxophone), Eise Dahir Qasim (keyboard), Mohamed Ali Mohamed (bass), Adan Mohamed Ali Handal (drums), Ooyaaye Eise and Ali Bisha (congas) and Mohamed Karma, Dahir Yaree and Murjaan Ramandan (backing vocals). Dur-Dur Band managed to release almost a dozen recordings before emigrating to Ethiopia, Djibouti and America.  

Dur-Dur Band was considered a “private band,” not beholden to government pressure to sing about political topics. They practiced a love- and culture-oriented lyricism. Government-sponsored bands like those of the military and the police forces, as well as many of the well-known folk musicians, made songs that were chiefly political or patriotic in nature. 

In a country that has been disrupted by civil war, heated clan divisions and security concerns, music and the arts has suffered from stagnation in recent years. Many of the best-known musicians left the country. Music became nearly outlawed in Mogadishu in 2010. Incidentally, more than ten years after Volume 5 (1987) was recorded at Radio Mogadishu, the state-run broadcaster was the only station in Somalia to resist the ban on music briefly enacted by Al-Shabab. 

Dur-Dur Band is a powerful and illustrative lens through which to appreciate a facet of the incredible sounds in Somalia before the country's stability took a turn. But Somali music of all kinds continues to thrive thanks in part to the diaspora living in cities worldwide. An extensive network of news, music and video websites, along with dozens of voluminous YouTube channels, makes clear an exciting relentlessness among artists. Reports of musicians returning to Mogadishu from years abroad bodes well for the immediate future of music and expression in Somalia.

Song Notes
1. Dur-Dur Band Introduction--Singer Abdinur Daljir announces the band members’ names over an excerpt of a track from a previous album.

2. Hayeelin—“Don't Do It.” The title refers to a person who is in love. He is asking the audience for advice about his love situation. He is so madly in love that he even thinks of committing suicide. One of the verses says, “Staying awake is helpful to this soul because even telling myself it will be all right doesn’t help me fall asleep.” The background singers respond with, “Hayeelin sidaa hayeelin ilaah baa kuu sahlii ee,” meaning, “Don’t do it, don’t. God will make it easier for you!”

3. Halelo—“The goal has been reached.” This song discusses a love made complete. The man is saying, “We have reached our destination,” we have reached what we wanted out of this love so enjoy it, you deserve it. The girl responds with, “Yes, indeed we have, and we did it together!”

4. Fagfagley—This song discusses family, the household and the problems they face. The title refers to a lady who talks or gossips a lot. The woman is called fagfagley because her husband has another wife but she wants more than what she is supposed to traditionally get; she wants more than what the other wife is getting. Or she demands things the other wife does not even receive. The guy also calls her “fagfagley” because she speaks constantly and her words have no limit whatsoever. She says whatever comes to her mind to her husband.

5. Ilawad Cashaqa—“Hold on to this love with me.” This song discusses the beginning of a relationship between a boy and a girl. The singer is reflecting on the time that he and his love first met. “I used to heal my heart with questions and no responses, you didn’t help me or call on me and you didn’t invite me into your heart.” “Wafayo,” he sings, “I'm coming out making it clear just once, help me with this love. Let’s settle this once and for all!” 

6. Garsore Waa Ilaah—“God is the judge, only God judges fair.” This song discusses a couple and the consequences of love. In thinking about her  decision to be in love, the girl says, “I'm up for the journey but are you going to help me with this decision?” She is up for the journey but asks the guy for help along the way. She wonders how many people have made plans to live together and love one another but have never reached their goal and end up separated.  

7. Aada Fududey Iga Ahow—This song discusses a guy who has remarried after having divorced the mother of his children. His ex-wife returns to him saying she wants to get back together and she apologizes. He thinks about it and says to his new wife, “I love my kids and I have been through so much with them and my family so, please, I can't leave them and be with you any more so please go.”

8. Tajir Waa Ilaah—“God is perfect, God is complete.” This song is talking about how humans are powerless, i.e. one day you have something, the next day you have nothing. If you are wealthy today, don't look down on the less fortunate. Additionally, one should feel sympathetic to women and be nice to them. The guy in the song feels that without obstacles, every aspect of love can be attained. Decisions produce the best outcomes if they are made together.

9. Dholey—Dholey is a girl’s name. In the song, the guy says, “You have stolen my heart and made me fall in love and now I am in pain. Dholey, without you the ground makes me dizzy. I hear voices from the sky, and I wouldn't trade you for the world.” He says, “Look at how we share the same birthplace and have all these other things in common. But you have left me like this, in love and in pain. You gave me false promises and left me out in the cold without warning.”

10. Amiina Awdaay—The title means “Where is Amina?” (Amina is a girl’s name.)
The singer is looking for her and talking about his feelings toward this girl. He asks, “Where is Amina? I couldn't find her. I believe in her and I didn't forget my promise to her. I would be happy to marry her!” 

11. Dooyo—Dooyo is a type of traditional Somali dance. The lady is singing, “I am warning you guys, I hear drums playing for me and it’s healing me and I won't resist. It’s my medicine. Dooyo has taken me over and I won’t stop dancing!”

credits

released March 19, 2013

Thanks: Abdinur Daljir, Sahra Dawo, Jibril Mohamed, Sanaag, Christopher Welz (distribution), Daniel Murphy (design), Jessica Thompson (mastering), Amin Amir (cover art) and Atousa Farahani.

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Dur-Dur Band Somalia

Somalia's legendary pop group Dur-Dur Band were a Mogadishu scene staple in the 1980s and early 90s.

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