This is absolutely amazing... It’s from ANALOG AFRICA, the first label to venture solo into Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia—and they’re probably the only ones who would do something so reckless. This is a collection of tracks that label founder Samy Ben Redjeb painstakingly selected from dusty tapes at a Mogadishu radio station. It’s strangely similar to the Asian-Oriental vibe and melodies found in the latest work by L.A.’s DEXTER STORY—who’s influenced by Ethiopian and Sudanese music—as well as artists like Oorutaichi and Taiku Jikan. It’s a bit like a traditional Japanese folk dance tune, which is quite intriguing. I’ve selected some tracks that capture that vibe. I’d call this Mogadishu dance music—"Mogadisco" is fantastic, but it also has a "Mogaondo" kind of feel to it. Apparently, Mogadishu used to have several discos and live music venues that were quite the scene, and the artists featured here were popular bands from that era. They even spent three years conducting interviews to capture what life was like back then. Speaking of Somalia, during the heyday of “world music” in the ’80s and mid-’90s, the country was in the midst of a civil war, so this music hadn’t been explored at the time. It’s finally being released now, which I think is truly amazing. It comes with a booklet featuring over 50 photos from the ’70s and ’80s—as usual, they’ve really put a lot of effort into this aspect. We’ve also received the LP vinyl! (Original Japanese text by Shhhhh)