V/A “Himba Hymn: Ghosts Of Namibia’s Skeleton Coast” LP

Recorded live on location, this is a style of music unlike anything you have ever heard before and the first album of the Himba people’s music ever released from northwest Namibia. From the album’s producer and recordist, Ian Brennan: “The Namib desert is the oldest in the world. Therefore, the driest. Italian-Rwandan photographer, Marilena Umuhoza Delli and I had come to record with possibly the most photographed people on earth, the Himbato listen rather than gaze at them as if on display. To share their voices as a counter to their visual objectification, particularly the inappropriate eroticization of the women who customarily go topless throughout daily life. We had to stress multiple times that we did not want the musicians to don touristic tribal costumesquite possibly the first music project in history that urged performers to cover-up rather than pleading with artists to expose more flesh. But it was to no avail. When the assigned hour arrived, the men all ditched the baseball caps and soccer jerseys that they routinely wear. And for the women, the reality is that they almost without exception keep their torsos bare, even in winter. We had to acquiesce. Forcing the issue would have only been the flipside of inauthenticity. The featured, traditional instrument is the Cattle Gun. It’s rarely found these days and therefore, costly. Made from the lengthy horn of an Oryx and coated in mud, it is blown, resulting in a breathy, rattled tone. Via the use of live looping on three of the album’s tracks, psychedelic vocal tapestries were created as if snatched from the ever-shifting skies that enshrined the valley from all sides. But even more esoteric results arose from members cupping hands over mouth to create chorusing and flanging effects sans electricity or gear. Rather than ‘primitive’ or traditional, the Himba music making is imbued with innovation and timelessness.’ Limited edition pressing of 500 vinyl copies with four-page color insert including photos of the musicians and liner notes by Grammy-award winning producer and author, Ian Brennan.

Street date 5/8/2026