The music of Sudanese-Italian singer Amira Kheir, who has been tagged by BBC World News as the "diva of the Sudanese desert", is rooted in ancient Nubian and Niolitic melodies, and is confidently married with experimental jazz and bursts of electric desert blues. She has previously released two albums, both to critical acclaim, View From Somewhere (2011) and Alsahraa (2014).

Amira's new album 'Mystic Dance' is a marriage of the traditional with the modern. Its elegant, organic form allows for ancient songs to sit side-by-side with more recent classics of the genre, not forgetting, of course, Amira's own compositions or, indeed, a version of Kurt Weill's 'Speak Low'. It is a celebration of ancient East African roots that have been catapulted into futuristic desert blues, and it compels us to expand our vision.

Amira Kheir: vocals and percussion
Nadir Ramzy: oud, percussion and vocals
Michele Montolli: double bass, electric bass and vocals
Tal Janes: accoustic guitar, electric guitar and vocals
Leandro Mancini: drums, percussion and vocals
Idris Rahman: clarinet and tenor saxophone
Leeto Thale: spoken word
Hal Hutchison: marimba