Alsarah + The Nubatones

Alsarah & the Nubatones were born out of many dinner conversations between Alsarah and Rami El Aasser about nubian ‘songs of return’, modern migration patterns and the cultural exchanges between Sudan and Egypt. A common love for the richness of pentatonic sounds, and shared migration experiences, expanded the conversation to include armenian – american oud player Haig Manoukian and french born togo raised bass player Mawuena Kodjovi. Under the leadership of Alsarah, the brooklyn based group’s sound grew into what they have dubbed as ‘east – african retro-pop’. 

Their third studio album, Mawasim Altariq (Seasons of the Road) came out earlier this year in February. A project more than five years in the making, the band shares their first ever songs in English on this release. The album fiirst took root in Beirut at the end of 2018 during a week-long residency at Station. From there, the record journeyed to Sudan, where the band filmed the music video for one of its earliest tracks, "Men Ana"—a tribute to the Sudanese revolution unfolding at the time. The album then found its way back to New York City, where the band, like the rest of the world, watched from lockdown as life transformed outside their windows. As time passed, the road twisted and turned—revolutions rose and fell, wars erupted, and genocide became a devastating norm. Each song became a marker of these shifting seasons, ultimately coming together in this deeply reflective album.