Baka Beyond, the British group formed after first visiting Cameroon’s rainforest in 1992, will release Sing the World Awake, its first album in 12 years, on 18 September 2026.
The 11-track set is out through March Hare Music and draws on 34 years of field recordings of traditional Baka music from Cameroon.
- Release date: 18 September 2026
- Label: March Hare Music
- Track count: 11
- Source material: 34 years of field recordings of Baka music from Cameroon
Origins in yeli singing and long-term collaboration#
The project grew out of Martin Cradick’s master’s dissertation at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, completed under ethnomusicologist Lucy Durán. It focuses particularly on yeli, an ancient form of wordless polyphonic singing traditionally performed by Baka women.
The album pays tribute to Loni, whose voice featured on Baka Beyond’s 1994 debut album Spirit of the Forest, and to Nahwia, who died recently. Nahwia was among the Baka women who welcomed Cradick and Su Hart when they first entered Baka territory in Cameroon.
“At its heart is a tribute to Nahwia, whose recent passing is deeply felt,” the band said. “It was Nahwia’s warmth, wisdom and generosity that welcomed Martin Cradick and Su Hart into Baka territory in Cameroon in 1992, marking the beginning of a lifelong friendship and cultural exchange.”
“Through Sing the World Awake, the voices of both Loni and Nahwia continue to resonate across generations,” it added.
Baka musical tradition and the album title#
The Baka are an Indigenous, semi-nomadic forest-dwelling people whose ancestral territories extend across parts of Cameroon, Gabon and the Republic of Congo. Their musical traditions include complex forms of polyphonic singing that have drawn international attention for their cultural and spiritual significance.
Cradick said the album’s title was inspired by the Baka understanding of music as a means of connecting with the natural and spiritual world. The title emerged while recording The Swift, a song reflecting this relationship.
“The Baka believe that forest spirits are ever-present, not malicious, though sometimes mischievous or dangerous, and that they are called through music, song and dance,” Cradick said. “These three expressions are all encompassed by the single Baka word, Bé. When performed with sincerity, the spirits come to dance with the people, creating joy and dissolving life’s burdens.”
Recording process and “We Miss You”#
The album combines archival field recordings with newly recorded instrumentation. Cradick said he developed guitar parts around the original recordings before arranging the material with Baka Beyond.
“It all began after I completed my master’s dissertation at SOAS, inspired by the Baka women’s yeli singing,” he said. “I worked out guitar parts that fitted the original field recordings, then developed the songs with the band until we found the right groove. The live rhythm section was exactly what was needed to bring the music alive.”
One track, We Miss You, has particular significance for Cradick because it features Nahwia’s voice.
“The track ‘We Miss You’ is especially meaningful to me because the singer who opens the song, Nahwia, died last year. I first met her in 1992, and she was always there, singing with us and helping us whenever we were in the forest,” he said.
Royalty sharing and community support#
Baka Beyond was formed after Cradick and Hart’s first visit to the Cameroon rainforest in 1992. The group developed a sound combining traditional Baka music with Celtic folk and West African influences, while introducing elements of Baka musical culture to audiences outside Central Africa.
In 1995, Cradick and Hart established Global Music Exchange, a charity intended to return royalties to Baka musicians and communities. Funds have supported community infrastructure, including a music centre with recording facilities, education and healthcare services. Other funds are distributed directly to individuals or used to address wider community needs.
Sing the World Awake continues that approach, combining field recordings and traditional musical practices with contemporary instrumentation while placing the relationships behind the recordings at the centre of the project.
