Beatte Harab

The researchers at the Sublime Frequencies label hunted down unknown musicians in the Western Sahara in 2005, eventually leading to a couple of successful albums and a major European tour for the Mauritanian Group Doueh. On this, their third album (this one on LP no less), the music takes a more traditional angle than previous recordings. Group Doueh still have their electric guitars and synthesizers, but now they focus on Moorish instruments. The Mauritanian tinidit lute plays over drones provided by the guitars, and the ardin takes the tinkling place of a kora in more West African-inspired pieces. Without the fuzz of their usual amplification, the group becomes an interesting study in the crossing points between traditional and modern.