Sinkane's musical movements across the globe

A musical map — Sinkane has soaked up influences from everywhere he's called home, from Sudan to London to the States. See his inspirations mapped out in our globetrotting playlist.

Moving around a lot as a kid sucks. It’s easy to lose sight of who you are in a bid to constantly reinvent yourself against ever-changing backdrops.

In Huck 48 – The Origins Issue, Ahmed Gallab of Sinkane reveals his own nomadic roots. If you’ve listened to his music (and why wouldn’t you have by now?!) you’ll hear the influences of his multicultural start. It’s a homage to all the places and cities that make up his identity; there’s a bit of Afrobeat, some funk, a dose of punk and a helluva lot of soul in there taken from all over the world. But where, exactly, did Gallab pick up the threads of this colourful sound? All over the place, really.

Here’s a musical map to help better signpost Sinkane’s movements across the globe.

London

Our first hit comes from the city in which these words are typed. As a little kid Ahmed lived in London, where his father, Abudallahi Gallab, was working for the Sudanese embassy. He probably has very little recollection of the big smoke, given that the Gallab family moved on before he turned five. But in later life he played in a number of hardcore punk bands, so here’s something from The Clash in homage to that.

Sudan

After London, his family relocated to the Sudan for his father’s work. Gallab’s parents were born in Sudan but left because of the second civil war that raged throughout the east African country between 1983 and 2005. The war was so fierce that it required the family to relocate to the States. Unbeknownst to the Gallabs, Emmanuel Jal had no way out. Speaking at TED’s Global Conference in 2009, Jal revealed that he spent his childhood seeing his village burned down, his mother killed in the war and fighting as a child soldier for five years. Heavy stuff, right?

Boston

Gallab’s father enrolled in a fellowship programme in Boston at the end of the 80s at Boston University: this would prove to be the first stop of many across the States. Boston University produced some huge names in American history; Martin Luther King Jr. earned a PhD in 1955, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone when he worked there and George Costanza, who plays the role of Jason Alexander in real life, studied there before dropping out. Joan Baez, while only studying at the university for six weeks, developed her musical style around the city after her father took up a position at MIT. There are parallels to be drawn between Baez and Gallab but if he goes on to emulate even half of what Baez has achieved he shouldn’t be too disappointed, I suppose. I mean, she’s done ok. So-so at a push.

Provo, Utah

It was in Utah that Gallab started discovering his hardcore sensibilities. Provo’s musical background is a bit of a mixed bag. The Osmonds and the guy that sang “Scarface (Push It To The Limit)” both come from there and, while PITTL is the guiltiest of pleasures, it never really pushed the boat out into Lake Utah. Bert McCracken, singer of The Used, was born in Provo and raised in nearby Orem which is only a 10 minute drive away if the traffic’s looking good. The Used’s post-hardcore sound may have laid the ground for emo but “Take It Away” is real punch in the face of a track.

Kent, Ohio

It was after the family’s move to Kent which Gallab describes as an “open-minded college town” that his passion for music really started to develop. Kent allowed his identity to forge in an environment where myriad subcultures co-existed. “It wasn’t like, ‘The black kids hang out here and the weird crusty punk kids hang out over here,’” he says. Kent could hold a claim to being Gallab’s real hometown – the place where he developed an understanding of just how vast the musical soundscape really is. Today, it’s a quiet town with a population of little over 30,000 but on May 4, 1970, it was the scene of one of America’s darker moments. The Kent State Shootings left four students dead and nine injured after the Ohio National Guard opened fire on students protesting the Nixon administration’s Cambodia Campaign in an afternoon that completely altered the Vietnam War.

Buy Huck 48 – The Origins Issue in the Huck Shop or subscribe today to make sure you don’t miss another issue in the series.


You might like

Crowd of protesters holding Palestinian flags and signs calling for "Free Palestine" outside the UK Houses of Parliament.
Activism

A reading of the names of children killed in Gaza lasts over 18 hours

Choose Love — The vigil was held outside of the UK’s Houses of Parliament, with the likes of Steve Coogan, Chris O’Dowd, Nadhia Sawalha and Misan Harriman taking part.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Smiling people enjoying a night out, one person wearing a red hat and jacket.
Music

Huck teams up with Eastern Margins for a special SXSW London showcase

From Shibuya to Shoreditch — Taking place at Village Underground on Monday, performances will come from MONO, Nina Utashiro, Ena Mori, Jianbo, LVRA & Soda Plains.

Written by: Isaac Muk

A person in a grey jacket stands against a mountainous, foggy landscape. The image has the text "huck presents Analogue Application" overlaid in yellow and green.
Music

Analogue Appreciation: Shura

I Got Too Sad For My Friends — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. Today, it’s English singer-songwriter Shura.

Written by: Shura

Cello player and bearded man seated with text 'Spaces Between the Beats' in the background.
Music

After Assad’s fall, Syria’s musicians rebuild from the rubble

Spaces Between the Beats — Following decades of dictatorship and 14 years of civil war, the country’s classical and creative scenes have an opportunity to build from scratch. Andrei Popviciu speaks to the people hoping for a flourishing new era of art and sound.

Written by: Andrei Popoviciu

A group of people sitting around a campfire in a dark forest, with trees and flowers in the background illuminated by the fire's glow.
© Angelina Nikolayeva
Music

At Belgium’s Horst, electronic music, skate and community collide

More than a festival — With art exhibitions, youth projects and a brand new skatepark, the Vilvoorde-Brussels weekender is demonstrating how music events can have an impact all year round.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Dimly lit underground carpark, long winding corridor with concrete walls, floor, and pipes above.
Activism

Youth violence’s rise is deeply concerning, but mass hysteria doesn’t help

Safe — On Knife Crime Awareness Week, writer, podcaster and youth worker Ciaran Thapar reflects on the presence of violent content online, growing awareness about the need for action, and the two decades since Saul Dibb’s Bullet Boy.

Written by: Ciaran Thapar

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.