The Skirball Cultural Center welcomes back singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sinkane on Thursday, August 8, at 8:00 pm as part of the 2024 season of Sunset Concerts. The Sudanese-American artist made his Skirball debut in 2016 during the 20th season of Sunset Concerts.
Ahmed Gallab, known professionally as Sinkane, has spent his career exploring a patchwork of musical genres that trace back to the years he spent growing up in London, Sudan, and the United States. As a child, Gallab was inspired by Middle Eastern music and the indigenous musical forms of Sudan, described as “folkloric and religious music” that reverberated throughout his childhood.
Twenty-five years and eight albums later, Sinkane delivers We Belong, which blends the gritty punk newness of a 70s and 80s New York with the steady, foundational soul of the rhythms of Sudan. From the earliest spirituals to the first civil rights songs, the uplifting power of gospel to the cathartic energy of funk, Black music resonates with this profound duality, serving as a fundamental tool of resistance—a loud, proud refusal to comply with the expectations of a world that seeks to oppress. On We Belong Sinkane upholds this legacy, smashing through constraints with revolutionary exuberance. This seminal album—threaded within the narrative thru-line of Gallab’s diasporic journey since childhood—reflects Sinkane’s clarion call for our global community to unite amidst the powerful forces attempting to divide us.
The 2024 Sunset Concerts schedule is as follows: El Laberinto del Coco (July 18); Bab L’ Bluz (July 25); Waahli (August 1); Sinkane (August 08).
The 2024 Sunset Concerts are presented free of charge. Walk-up tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Parking will be available on-site at the Skirball for $20 upon arrival. Street parking is strictly prohibited.
For more information about Sunset Concerts, please visit: https://www.skirball.org/programs/sunset-concerts.
