Betsayda Machado & La Parranda El Clavo | Sahra Halgan

Psych rock infused traditional songs of Somaliland meets Venezuelan Afro-Soul Tambor in an exciting showcase of cultural traditions.

Day 2 of Barzakh Festival features Betsayda Machado & La Parranda El Clavo (Venezuela) and Sahra Halgan (Somaliland).

Betsayda Machado & La Parranda El Clavo (Venezuela)

The voice of Venezuela, Betsayda brings a fiesta of spirit-shaking percussion and voice, said to make dancers float. Raised in the small village of El Clavo in the region of Barlovento, her recent rural recordings with lifelong friend Parranda El Clavo brought new attention to Venezuelan Afro-Soul genre: ‘Tambor’. Her documentary project Las Cantoras, excavating archives of historical rural recordings by Afro-Venezuelan female singers, was commissioned by The Arts Center, and had its world premiere online at 2021’s Barzakh Festival.

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Sahra Halgan (Somaliland)

Sahra Halgan presents a mix of original compositions and traditional Somali songs through distorted guitars, African percussion, and Sahra’s distinctive warbling vocals. With her unique vocal style, Sahra sings about love, gratitude, and rebuilding her nation, using poetry typical of the Somali language. Each member of the group brings their own distinctive background into the music: Krol, who has spent time in Bamako studying Malian percussions, uses his set of hand drums to drive tracks such as “Dhesha Dheshu” and “Caaqil,” while Salètes’ distorted guitars and hypnotic riffs give the record a solid rock backbone. A new addition to the group, keyboard player Graham Mushnik, injects some of that Golden Era psychedelia into the record. “We bring our own identity to the music, but I think we respect the meaning and the melodies of Somali music” says Salètes.

Listen to the music: