Los Angeleno singer and violinist Brittney Parks named herself Sudan Archives, a reference to the pentatonic scales and minor triads of North and West African stringed folk music. Drawing on these techniques and traditions, and using not much more than a digital looping station as companion to her violin, her playing is more improvisational and percussive than much of the Western musical tradition. In doing so, she’s shaping an avant-garde sound of her own, layering folk experimentations with inflections of hip-hop and R&B, and providing witty and insightful lyricism. In the summer of 2017, Sudan Archives releases her self-titled debut EP on the legacy hip-hop label Stones Throw. In an exploration of her style, here she selects music that focuses on string variants from Africa, America and beyond.
