IFTIN BAND Vinyl & CDs

Review: Iftin is a band from Somalia that has a cult status amongst those who know. This is the first-ever retrospective of their music and it has taken seven years to get together. The music is taken from cassettes recorded between 1982 and 1987 at Al-Uruba hotel's secret studio. They were often performed for crowds in the basement of Somalia's national theatre and mix up Banaadiri rhythms from the south of Somalia, vocalists from Mogadishu and reggae-styled guitar riffs from Dhaanto all powered by brass that bends the traditions of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Truly world music.