Dur‐Dur Band (Somali disco group)

The Dur-Dur Band (dur dur meaning 'spring' in Somali) was a musical group from Mogadishu, Somalia. The band was formed in the 1980s and was one of the most well-known acts on the Mogadishu disco scene at the time. Their sound encompasses funk and disco, with influences of soul. The band has recently undergone a resurgence in popularity following the use of their music for a TikTok trend. Inspired by artists such as Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, and Santana, as well as Bollywood music, Dur-Dur Band emerged during a time when Somalia's distinctive contribution to the creative culture in the Horn of Africa was visible and abundant. Thousands of recordings, made at the Somali National Theatre, Radio Mogadishu, and other studios, were used by the nightclubs at Hotel Juba, Jazeera Palace Hotel, and Hotel al-Curuuba, creating a flourishing music scene. Somalia is an oral society, and citizens often express their feelings and anxieties through poems, singing, dancing, music, and dramatic storytelling. The Dur-Dur Band became famous in Somalia in the mid-80s, with lead singers including as Sahra Dawo, AbdiNur Aden Daljir, Pastow, Eddi, Shimali, Qomal and other vocalists. They took Somali pop culture by storm, and were also popular in the neighboring countries of Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya. The Dur-Dur Band was originally named Muqdisho Funk, Disco, Soul Band which later disbanded in the 90s.[citation needed] The Dur-Dur Band disbanded when civil war broke out in Somalia in 1991, forcing several members to flee the country. After this, the band was based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The group recorded several albums and released almost a dozen recordings before the musicians emigrated to countries such as Djibouti and the United States, while some remained in Ethiopia. The founders of the band, Eise Dahir Qasim, Abdillahi Ujerry and Sahra Dawo, currently live in Ohio, United States. Sahra Dawo used to be married to Eise Dahir but later remarried Abdinur Daljir. Many Somali musicians fled the country to seek sanctuary outside Somalia, mainly in East Africa and Europe, with many executed or killed by the religious factions for their dedication to music and cultural expression. Dur Dur Band International is a London-based homage or revival band, co-founded by original bassist Abdillahi Ujeeri and Liban Noah in September 2011. In March 2013, the record label Awesome Tapes From Africa re-released their 1987 cassette release Volume 5 on LP, CD, and cassette formats. The album received wide critical acclaim from music critics. In November 2014, Dur-Dur Band reunited for a single performance at The Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, following a week-long artist residency as part of the "Midnimo" Somali cultural program. In 2019, Noah and his Dur Dur Band International organized a special tribute concert in Berlin’s House of World Cultures dubbed The Berlin Session which was later compiled as a live album. In September 2025, their song "Gorof (Elixir)" gained worldwide traction because of the TikTok "rare aesthetic" trend. This led to many videos with millions of likes using the song and sparked discussions on Reddit among users who were unfamiliar with the band until discovering them on TikTok. By 1987, Dur-Dur Band's line-up featured: Sahra Abukar Dawo – vocals Abdinur Adan Daljir – vocals Mohamed Ahmed Qomal – vocals Abdukadir Mayow Buunis – vocals Abukar Dahir Qasim – guitar Abdillahi Ujeeri – bass guitar Yusuf Abdi Haji Aleevi – guitar Ali Dhere – trumpet Muse Mohamed Araci – saxophone Abdul Dhegey – saxophone Eise Dahir Qasim – keyboard Mohamed Ali Mohamed – bass Adan Mohamed Ali Handal – drums Ooyaaye Eise and Ali Bisha – congas Mohamed Karma, Dahir Yaree and Murjaan Ramandan – backing vocals Ibrahim Ismail Sugulle (Sooraan) – lyricist. 1986 - Rafaad iyo Raaxo 1986 - Volume 1 1987 - Volume 2 1987 - Volume 5 1991 - Africa 2013 - Volume 5 – Awesome Tapes From Africa) 2018 - Dur-Dur of Somalia - Volume 1, Volume 2 & Previously Unreleased Tracks – Analog Africa) 2023 - Dur-Dur Band Int - The Berlin Session – Out Here Records) 2019 - Mogadisco - Dancing Mogadishu // Somalia 1972-1991 (Analog Africa Nr. 29) Tangari, Joe. "Dur-Dur Band Vol. 5 - Album Review". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 5 July 2014. Oumar Saleh (August 23, 2023). "Features: The Second Life of Dur-Dur Band (International)". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved Dec 9, 2025. "Dur-Dur Band – "Garsore Waa Ilaah"". Complex Networks. Retrieved 4 July 2014. Greenstreet, Morgan. "Dur-Dur Band, Vol. 5- Awesome Tapes From Africa". Afropop. Retrieved 4 July 2014. "A Funky-Fresh Sound From Somalia, With A Political History". NPR. Retrieved 4 July 2014. Weigel, Maxwell. "Dur-Dur Band: Volume 5". Retrieved 5 July 2014. "Dur-Dur Band with Black Market Brass and DJ Soft Abuse: Midnimo Residency Finale Concert". Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved 8 Jun 2016. Brocklehurst, Harrison (2025-09-09). "Right, here's where the viral song from TikTok's 'rare aesthetic' trend actually comes from". The Tab. Retrieved 2025-10-19. "Afar arrimood ka ogow marxuum majaajileyste Sooraan". BBC News Somali (in Somali). Retrieved 2024-06-21. "Somalis mourn legendary comedian Sooraan". Horn Diplomat. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 2024-06-21. "Rafaad iyo Raaxo". Youtube. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2014. "Dur Dur of Somalia - Volume 1, Volume 2 & Previously Unreleased Tracks". Retrieved 14 September 2018.