Taz Waves Maps Heritage & Hardware on ‘The Electronic Sounds of Sudan’

On The Electronic Sounds of Sudan, released through his own label, Basinkob, producer and artist Taz Waves maps a sonic journey that sits directly at the crossroads of heritage, hardware, and forward-thinking electronic composition.

Following a move back to Port Sudan from Amman, the 12-track project builds upon the foundational universe of his 'Journey of the Unknown Traveler' series. Whereas the first two entries relied a good deal on sample-chopping, this time around, Taz dives deep into the specific synth gear that shaped decades of Sudanese street music and wedding culture, most notably the Yamaha PSR and Technics KN2000. By channeling these iconic keyboard sounds through a modern production mindset, the album acts as a bridge between foundational Sudanese sonic traditions and contemporary electronic architecture.

The album starts on a cinematic scale. The opening track 'The Return of The Unknown Traveller' establishes the project’s storytelling scope, layering spoken dialogue from Hiba Elgizouli over sweeping pads and theatrical risers before landing on a buoyant, drum-machine-led groove. Right away, Taz Waves sets his playbook: traditional modal scales are handed over to soaring, highly resonant lead synths that float over warm accordion chords and crisp handclaps, bridging old-world phrasing with modern electronic clarity.

That balance between physical tradition and digital manipulation shifts continuously across the tracklist. 'Basinkob' thrives on an unquantized, delightfully loose rhythm, where siren-like glides and bubbly, trilling synths bounce off short bass notes in a way that feels deliberately live. On 'Kadari', he takes a more patient, additive approach, building a waltzy, percussion-heavy swing instrument by instrument until a simple lead transformed by pitched-up grain delay takes over the mix.

Where the record really takes flight, though, is in its dramatic mid-album shift. 'The Last Journey to The Land of The Shining Sun' builds an almost overwhelming sense of momentum before its drums even kick in, using bright wind-synths and heavy sub-drones that eventually crash into a thumping groove and vibrant sax-like lead lines. That energy carries directly into 'All Roads Lead to Sudan' and 'Between The Sea and The Desert', the former flashy, funky, and driven by lightning-fast trills, and the latter pulling those same traditional rhythms down into darker, more dramatic territory filled with long, gliding strings.

By the time the album reaches its theatrical finale, 'We Will Meet in Another Time and Space', Taz Waves has pulled off something genuinely tricky. By treating nostalgic keyboard models not as novelty sounds, but as foundational instruments capable of driving complex, atmospheric electronic music, The Electronic Sounds of Sudan feels less like a simple homage and more like an active expansion of the soundscape.