5. Various ArtistsTwo Niles To Sing A Melody: The Violins & Synths Of Sudan

There’s this song on this collection that I liked so much that I learned how to play it, ‘Ma Kunta Aarif Yarait (I Wish I Had Known)’ by Abdel El Aziz Al Mubarak. My main inspiration is fiddle music, originally an Irish kind of vibe. When I joined a fiddle club I was learning how to do that. But the reason why I like the way that they play violin in Sudan is because when I hear the music, there’s this call and response happening, and this was the first time that I experienced it. They sing a beautiful line and then the violins say the same thing, like they’re talking back to each other. You see a lot of guitar players, they’re playing guitar and singing at the same time. But when I heard [Two Niles], I was like, OK, so this is how I’m going to be able to talk and be on stage for myself and deliver a story.