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Documentary filmmaker and producer Kathi von Koerber's Footsteps in Africa project began as a feature-length film exploring the life, worldview and creativity of the nomadic Tuareg people of the Sahara desert. The film is set to debut at select festivals around the world later this year, but its trance- and dance-inducing soundtrack was released on June 1. Originating from ancient migratory tribes crossing desert lands from India to Africa and the Middle East, the Tuareg use music as a unifying force, often singing, dancing, and playing music for hours on end during communal gatherings. Taking authentic field recordings from several ceremonial and festival gatherings, Joshua Jacobs begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting collaborated with DJs worldwide to turn these excerpts of Tuareg life into full-on dance floor-ready remixes. Persian-American composer, Jamshied Sharifi adds instrumental overdubs to eight of the disc's 14 tracks, offering an array of soundscapes for expansion by DJs like Nicodemus, DimmSummer, and Cheb i Sabbah. On "Open," the Bombay Dub Orchestra drops a percussive onslaught of djembe and hand drums over Morocco's Hassan Hakmoun's deep singing drone to create a heady, sonic vibe. Listening transports you to sand-strewn landscapes where hot desert winds whip ancient melodies into reborn remixes that sound at once old and new. Footsteps in Africa Soundtrack: Nomadic Remix (Kiahkeya 001) also serves a good cause, as 15 percent of profits go to the Nomadic Villagers Clean Water Awareness Fund, a collaborative charity established by the film's producers, the Indigenous Cultural Educational Center, and Tuareg leaders to improve wells and access to clean water for the people and musicians featured in the film and soundtrack 07/01/10
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