Drummers of the Nile Go South

MAHMOUD FADL – Drummers of the Nile Go South
Piranha, 2002

EGYPT – Excellent traditional Nubian music, reflecting the culture of an ancient, lost land (it was flooded to create Lake Nasser in the 1960’s). Nubia straddled the current Egypt/Sudan border, and so the music combines Arabic atmosphere with a more “African” rhythmic sense. The rhythm section includes congas, bongos, and spoons! The beats are awesome, but the best tracks have vocals in Nubian and Arabic. The entire album is first-rate! Definitely recommended!

Fo’s Picks: 4, 7, 9, 13, 16

# 2, 5, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17 are very cool drum rhythms, each under 2 minutes long.
Beat heads might wanna mix with these, and should definitely check out #18 as well.


03. 6:49 – filigreed string-picking 2 mins, then upbeat caravan rhythm w/male chorus
04. 3:39 – old Nuba (Sudanese) song w/female call & response chorus and good drums.
06. 3:08 – up/med tempo, deadpan male vox; same string/drum style as track 3
07. 5:09 – sounds more Asian than African! Very nifty drum pattern and stretchy nasal vocal
09. 2:50 – another Sudanese song: propulsive, somewhat bouncy beat and female chorus
12. 4:43 – wedding chant: slow with long, twisty vocal lines; first half a cappella, then drums
13. 4:10 – long intro with fast strumming, then uptempo drums join in. male chorus near end
16. 3:25 – quick modern drums; male singers name all the villages destroyed by the lake
18. 4:20 – modern tribal house, with live & sampled drums. Also mix in some pipes.

[Fo] - 8/5/02