In a dark night on the outskirts of Al Gedarif State in Eastern Sudan, energies run high as Jantra takes the crowd into a sonic journey out of this world. Guns are fired into the sky out of excitement, and Sudanese uncles are dancing into the night as Jantra and his keyboard fuel the party.
His real name unknown to the general public, keyboardist Jantra – a stage name, meaning “craziness” or “madness” in the Sudanese dialect – makes a living out of neighbourhood parties in rural areas of Al Gedarif, blending traditional and African influences with cosmic sounds to create rhythmic music known as jaglara. This music is native to the Fashaga region in southeastern Sudan, and it is a unique blend of traditional Sudanese rhythms and synthesised tones on modified keyboards. This is a style that is well-known to the people of the Fashaga region, but has been made international by Jantra himself.
Jantra’s keyboard and flash drive filled with electronic sounds are the key to his unique performances. Jantra is known for freestyling through his performances, resembling a live producer, playing random tunes effortlessly, creating a phenomenon where no two songs are the same.
Jantra was discovered in the international music scene by Vik Sohonie, the founder of the two-time Grammy-nominated New York record label, Ostinato Records. Since he founded the label in 2016, Sohonie has released long-forgotten or undiscovered music from Senegal, Haiti, Cape Verde, Somalia, and Sudan. He incidentally came across Jantra’s performances on YouTube during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Sohonie searched for a way to contact Jantra for a year until 2021, when he finally made contact and travelled to Sudan with his record label team to meet Jantra.
The team from Ostinato Records opened the door to international visibility for Jantra by offering to record an album with him. Upon making the deal, a small challenge presented – Jantra does not know how to play in studios without a live crowd. The challenge was quickly met with a compromise where Jantra would play live at parties and his performances would be recorded on the keyboard.
The record label team worked hard afterward to edit these live tracks into solid productions to create a 10-track album under Ostinato Records label. This latest project, ‘Synthesized Sudan – Astro-Nubian Electronic Jaglara Sounds From The Fashaga Underground’ by Jantra, was released in 2023 at a time when Sudan is broke into war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Although nearly unknown in Sudan and to Sudanese people due to the ongoing war, the album made a big splash in the international music scene, harbouring over 250,000 streams on Spotify and over 15,000 views on YouTube. In addition to Synthesized Sudan, Ostinato Records has released several other albums by Sudanese musicians, including Beja Power by Noori and His Dorpa Band, as well as Two Niles to Sing A Melody.
“Synthesized Sudan” stays true to its name in the way the record sounds like traditional Sudanese music blended with newer, synthetic sounds. The record is almost transformative, with an atmospheric feel and an experience so immersing that it transports the listener to Jantra’s parties amidst surging crowd energies. His unique style of music shines through in every track, with every song embodying tradition with a major influence of innovation and sonic experimentation.
The album resonated with many people worldwide including Miami-based influencer, Machi, who posts videos as part of a series of discovering music from around the world. In a recent post, he shares the song “Makhafi” from Jantra’s project, while speaking briefly about Jantra’s background.
The global impact of Jantra’s work reached international publications including Pan African Music and The Guardian, whose team did a feature on Jantra after reaching out and interviewing him. The piece was filled with Jantra’s musings about performing and comments from him about the power of his performances and the energy bursts they bring, especially highlighting the honour he felt about his music transcending borders through the help of Ostinato Records.
In Sudan’s modern soundscape and its growing global recognition, there is a need for music that reflects Sudanese roots, but simultaneously appeals to the general masses who are not Sudanese. As I previously wrote in my column piece, “Balancing the Beat: Heritage Meets Experimentation,” a unique sound for Sudanese musicians should be explored in the middle of the spectrum, between traditional and modern, and Jantra’s music is a remarkable example of a perfectly balanced sound.
Without the use of vocals or words, Jantra crafted a unique sound that not only makes people dance, but takes the listener on a vivid journey out of this world. His Astro-Nubian fusion experiment opens the door for more Sudanese musicians to push the boundaries of genre-blending. With musicians such as Jantra leading the way, the Sudanese music scene is set to become richer than ever, connecting listeners directly to the heart of Sudan.
Find Synthesized Sudan – Astro-Nubian Electronic Jaglara Sounds From The Fashaga Underground on Bandcamp at ostinatorecords.bandcamp.com.
Samar Bengawi is a medical student by day, and a literature and music enthusiast by night. She was born and raised in the UAE and is now based in Georgia. She is never without a cup of coffee in hand, and is always “on the go,” chasing after one hobby or another. Passion in Sudanese politics runs in her blood and she considers herself a patriot who hopes to leave a memorable mark in the world.
