Bandcamp Announces Support For Immigrants Affected by Trump

Popular music hosting website, Bandcamp, has allied itself alongside those affected by the executive order signed by U.S President Donald Trump. In an open letter on the website, the company’s CEO, Ethan Diamond, denounces the recent actions by Trump while depicting his own immigrant heritage.

Bandcamp has announced that all of their profits from every sale made on their site this Friday, February 3, will be donated to the American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU].

Diamond said the order is, “an unequivocal moral wrong, a cynical attempt to sow division among the American people, and is in direct opposition to the principles of a country where the tenet of religious freedom is written directly into the Constitution.”

Bandcamp will also be showcasing albums from the seven banned countries, as well as those impacted by the construction of the Mexican border wall.

Check out the entire open letter by CEO, Ethan Diamond, here. And listen to an album from each country below.

Mexico

Two dreamy tracks from a dark wave duo named Las Parades who call Mexico City home.

Syria

Four Tet collaborator Omar Souleyman is already a known name, but get to know his music better through this mournfully splendid track.

Iraq

'Kurdistan' is one of Erbil-based Wirephobia’s more accessible works. Discordant, experimental noise with Middle Eastern samples throughout, those with sensitive ears should turn the volume low.

Iran

Deeply visceral and hypnotic, these tunes will lull you into a state of melancholy.

Libya

Chaco, a Tripoli desert blues outfit, will lift your mood in these dark times.

Sudan

Sufyvn’s K E R M A reminds you of the so-called Golden Age of Hip-Hop with his eccentric beats, but it’s the Sudanese samples and glitchy-ness of his tracks that allow it to stand out so well.

Yemen

Four songs long, yet powerful enough to evoke an album-esque feeling, ❖’s 2013 EP is one of our favourites on this feature.

Somalia

Sahra Halgan manages to blend traditional Somali songs with Afropop in a melodic, hypnotic way. A former refugee herself, her music is both powerful and visceral. As Bandcamp themselves put it, “Send Donald the Bandcamp link.”

Words: Dhruva Balram
Photography: Bandcamp [thumb]; Rex Shutterstock, National [Main]