Debbo by Andal Sukabe

Woodabe music group Andal Sukabe follows a breakout appearance on Sahel Sounds' hit Music from Saharan WhatsApp compilation with "Debbo," the group's first internationally distributed studio recording.

Andal Sukabe is a band of siblings from the Mojamani family; Ibounou and Ibrahim play guitar and vocals, and Tourou, Adama, Hadiza, and Haoua all sing. Hailing from the capital city of Niamey, Niger, Andal Sukabe's music is rooted in the rich traditions of nomadic Woodabe culture, with polyphonic choral singing and pentatonic desert scales. Unlike the Tuareg scene and style, whose guitar music has known more modern adaptations, Wodaabe culture has remained more on the fringes due to their predominantly nomadic lifestyle.

For Andal Sukabe, this was part of their motivation. "We wanted to create a modern sound for Wodaabe music and show the world that we too can have something culturally ours, but modernized," Ibounu explains. Further developed in the studio, "Debbo" incorporates crashing drums and looping percussion to create an irresistible melange with strong dance appeal.

Already a viral hit on the Saharan mp3 networks, "Debbo" is now available globally via Sahel Sounds.