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East African music specialists · Est. 2019

Sonavira Records

Home to East African music.

Specialists in East African and Arabic music — benga, qaraami, sirba, Ethio-jazz, guayla and tarab. Founded in Europe, with big studios in Africa helping the talents. Pressed on vinyl in small batches, streamed everywhere.

Explore the styles Listen with us

Specialities

The styles we carry

Benga, qaraami, sirba, Ethio-jazz, guayla and Arabic tarab — the music we specialise in.

Benga

Kenya

KenyaBenga music

Qaraami

Somalia

SomaliaQaraami music

Sirba

Oromia

OromiaSirba music

Ethio-jazz

Ethiopia

EthiopiaEthio-jazz music

Guayla

Tigray

TigrayGuayla music

In the studio

Recorded live,
where possible

Tape machines, reverb rooms, and the sessions our records are cut from.

Hear the results →

Studio2" · 15 ips

Otari MX-5050

Mastering deck, direct to lacquer.

SessionSession 214

Blue Signal takes

Cut in one night, mixed the next.

Room12 m²

Reverb chamber

Live echo, no plugins.

CuttingDirect

Lacquer lathe

Aluminium blanks, one pass.

MixAnalog

Neve 8068

All records summed through it.

HoursNight

Night standard

Most of the work happens past midnight.

Streaming

Listen everywhere

The full catalogue — plus member-only lossless files and mix archives for subscribers.

The label

About the label

Four things we stand by.

East African and Arabic music

Benga · qaraami · sirba · Ethio-jazz · guayla · tarab

Pressed in small batches

Vinyl first, streamed everywhere

Founded in Europe · Est. 2019

Stockholm · Home to diaspora voices

Big studios in Africa

Built to help the talents

Direction

Vision + mission

Vision

A catalog that outlasts platforms: diaspora music pressed to last and heard everywhere.

Mission

Find, record and carry diaspora voices — with fair deals, patient artist development and honest accounting.

Proposed — approval required

Est. 2019Founded in Stockholm.

Vinyl, small batchesPressed in small batches.

Streamed everywhereDistributed to every major streaming platform.

SONAVIRA RECORDS✦STOCKHOLM · EST. 2019✦EAST AFRICAN MUSIC✦BENGA · QARAAMI · SIRBA✦ETHIO-JAZZ · GUAYLA · TARAB✦PRESSED IN SMALL BATCHESSONAVIRA RECORDS✦STOCKHOLM · EST. 2019✦EAST AFRICAN MUSIC✦BENGA · QARAAMI · SIRBA✦ETHIO-JAZZ · GUAYLA · TARAB✦PRESSED IN SMALL BATCHESSONAVIRA RECORDS✦STOCKHOLM · EST. 2019✦EAST AFRICAN MUSIC✦BENGA · QARAAMI · SIRBA✦ETHIO-JAZZ · GUAYLA · TARAB✦PRESSED IN SMALL BATCHESSONAVIRA RECORDS✦STOCKHOLM · EST. 2019✦EAST AFRICAN MUSIC✦BENGA · QARAAMI · SIRBA✦ETHIO-JAZZ · GUAYLA · TARAB✦PRESSED IN SMALL BATCHESSONAVIRA RECORDS✦STOCKHOLM · EST. 2019✦EAST AFRICAN MUSIC✦BENGA · QARAAMI · SIRBA✦ETHIO-JAZZ · GUAYLA · TARAB✦PRESSED IN SMALL BATCHESSONAVIRA RECORDS✦STOCKHOLM · EST. 2019✦EAST AFRICAN MUSIC✦BENGA · QARAAMI · SIRBA✦ETHIO-JAZZ · GUAYLA · TARAB✦PRESSED IN SMALL BATCHESSONAVIRA RECORDS✦STOCKHOLM · EST. 2019✦EAST AFRICAN MUSIC✦BENGA · QARAAMI · SIRBA✦ETHIO-JAZZ · GUAYLA · TARAB✦PRESSED IN SMALL BATCHESSONAVIRA RECORDS✦STOCKHOLM · EST. 2019✦EAST AFRICAN MUSIC✦BENGA · QARAAMI · SIRBA✦ETHIO-JAZZ · GUAYLA · TARAB✦PRESSED IN SMALL BATCHESSONAVIRA RECORDS✦STOCKHOLM · EST. 2019✦EAST AFRICAN MUSIC✦BENGA · QARAAMI · SIRBA✦ETHIO-JAZZ · GUAYLA · TARAB✦PRESSED IN SMALL BATCHESSONAVIRA RECORDS✦STOCKHOLM · EST. 2019✦EAST AFRICAN MUSIC✦BENGA · QARAAMI · SIRBA✦ETHIO-JAZZ · GUAYLA · TARAB✦PRESSED IN SMALL BATCHESSONAVIRA RECORDS✦STOCKHOLM · EST. 2019✦EAST AFRICAN MUSIC✦BENGA · QARAAMI · SIRBA✦ETHIO-JAZZ · GUAYLA · TARAB✦PRESSED IN SMALL BATCHESSONAVIRA RECORDS✦STOCKHOLM · EST. 2019✦EAST AFRICAN MUSIC✦BENGA · QARAAMI · SIRBA✦ETHIO-JAZZ · GUAYLA · TARAB✦PRESSED IN SMALL BATCHES

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