Organic Loops are proud to present our second mini collection: Gambian Harp, the most authentic collection of West African Kamele N'goni sounds you’ll find on the market today. Everything included is 100% royalty free and ready to inject some stunning world music vibes into your tracks.

The Gambian Harp, also known as the Kamele N'goni, is a bridge harp from the Manding region of West Africa (especially Mali and Burkina Faso). The instrument originates from the 6 string Donso (hunter) n’goni. It was created sometime in the 1960’s by Wassoulou musician Allata Brulaye, who first recorded it in 1983. The tuning of the Kamele N’goni is pentatonic with at least 8 and up to 16 strings. These are plucked with thumb and index fingers of both hands.

There was a powerful social reason for the creation of the Kamele N'goni and indeed its meaning ‘young person harp’. Mande countries of West Africa have stratified societies with artisanal classes. As a Donso you have to undergo an initiation, and their music was solely played during their rituals and ceremonies.

In the Wassoulou region, people believe that all people are entitled to make music. So whilst the Kamele N'goni is very structurally similar to the Donso N'goni, its creation allowed people to step outside the rules and hence revolutionise Malian music.

The Kamele N'goni today is an instrument of growing popularity in West Africa and around the World. It has been popularised significantly through artists such as Oumou Sangare, and it is a staple in the music of Salif Keita.

Within this collection, you’ll find kora harp loops, hits and strums at tempos ranging from 80-130bpm, perfect for downtempo, trip-hop, house, hip-hop and more!

In detail, expect to find 200 MB of content, with all audio recorded at 24Bit 44.1KHZ. There are 60 Kora Harp Loops, 55 Kora Harp Hits and 16 Kora Harp Strums.