Nigeria — Soundport Project

A 44-minute instrumental journey across Nigeria in one continuous arc, from the Afrobeat midnight pulse of Lagos to the highland crossroads of Jos. No vocals; pure instrumental storytelling.

Each track is composed from the music of its place: the Afrobeat shrine and juju-fuji-highlife sprawl of Lagos; the bronze-age court grandeur and ikhue ensembles of Benin City; the kakaki trumpets and Durbar-festival majesty of Hausa Kano; the sacred bata drums and orisha traditions of the ancient Yoruba kingdoms at Oyo and Ife; the ekpe masquerade and carnival of Calabar; and the ogene gongs and Igbo highlife of Enugu.

Tracklist

  1. 01 Lagos Afrobeat shrine, juju, fuji, highlife — the whole capital pulse 0:00 · 5:50
  2. 02 Benin City Edo court music, ikhue ensembles, bronze-casting grandeur 5:42 · 4:15
  3. 03 Kano Hausa court music, kakaki trumpet, the Durbar festival 9:49 · 5:10
  4. 04 Abeokuta Fela's birthplace, Yoruba sacred music in Olumo Rock's shadow 14:51 · 4:59
  5. 05 Ile-Ife Ile-Ife — sacred origin city of the Yoruba, cradle of orisha tradition; bata drums, ancient kingdom 19:42 · 4:04
  6. 06 Calabar Efik/Ibibio traditions, the Calabar carnival, ekpe masquerade 23:38 · 2:36
  7. 07 Ibadan Yoruba dundun heartland, fuji roots, university-town wisdom 26:05 · 5:39
  8. 08 Enugu / Southeast Igbo highlife, ogene gongs, masquerade music 31:37 · 5:53
  9. 09 Port Harcourt Niger Delta, Ijaw war-canoe music, a modern oil-city scene 37:21 · 3:05
  10. 10 Jos Plateau crossroads, Middle Belt traditions, tin-mining highland cool 40:18 · 3:49

Photography credits