Freshlyground‘s Simon Attwell and Julio Sigauque and radio producer Kim Winter recently turned us onto new music coming out of Northern Mozambique through their “mobile recording studio” project Wired For Sound (WFS). Funded by the Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa (OSISA), the trio equipped a 4×4 with solar panels and a battery system to capture sounds from more remote areas of the region. With the world as a recording studio, the WFS team partnered with local community radio stations to host live discussions and interviews with up-and-coming musicians to be broadcast on community airwaves. They then took the recordings back to South Africa for further mixing, mastering and collaborations (including with Freshlyground’s Zolani Mahola) with the goal of producing a full-length album (the proceeds of which would go towards creating permanent recording/producing facilities in the featured artists’ communities).

In the day leading up to Mozambique’s 39th Independence Day, Wired For Sound dropped the finished album, which Attwell explains “exhibits the best collaborative songs recorded over two months in northern Mozambique, showcasing traditional instrumentalists, contemporary singer songwriters, MCs, choirs and bands. The album covers a wide range of genres spanning rap beats and African style zouk to Marrabenta and Chimurenga rhythms with several haunting instrumental pieces.” Listen to all 17 tracks below. Download the album at iTunes and catch some footage from the project below as well. Next up Wired For Sound heads to Malawi.