Efie Gallery’s curated playlist for Nomad Abu Dhabi is conceived as a sonic voyage, an aural companion to the fair’s theme of destinations, where each track becomes a point on an ever-shifting cultural map. Moving seamlessly between continents, eras, and sensibilities, the playlist invites listeners to drift between moods and geographies, tracing the ways music carries memory, desire, and the quiet astonishments of place. Throughout the fair, this global tapestry of sound will play on the OMA sound system, courtesy of The Originals, enveloping the Collectors Lounge in a warm, nomadic atmosphere.

The journey begins in Japan with the ethereal textures of Miyako Koda, whose delicate, dream-like vocals open a portal into a world where intimacy becomes atmosphere. From there, the path flows to Jamaica through the unmistakable cadence of Leroy Smart, whose roots reggae anthems ground the ear in warmth and resilience. This rhythmic confidence finds an unexpected resonance in the introspective melancholia of Radiohead from the UK, artists who translate emotional terrain into expansive sonic landscapes.

The path then widens toward the deep, exploratory tones of American jazz legend Bennie Maupin, whose improvisational mastery stretches the ear into cosmic territory. His meditative soundscape finds a lyrical counterpoint in the voice of Fairouz from Lebanon, whose songs, soaked in memory, longing, and dawn-tinged light evoke the poetic spirit of the Levant.

From the Mediterranean, the playlist flows into the incandescent polyrhythms of Nigeria’s King Sunny Adé, where jubilant guitar lines and Yoruba percussion create a feeling of motion and celebration. This effervescence drifts naturally to the breezy intimacy of Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto, whose bossa nova glides like wind across an open coast. The journey might land, finally, in Ghana through the storytelling brilliance of Nana Kwame Ampadu, whose highlife compositions braid folklore and social commentary into music that feels both rooted and airborne.

These artists, alongside many others from across the globe, form a rich, wandering tapestry. Taken together, the playlist doesn’t simply accompany Nomad Abu Dhabi’s theme of destinations; it embodies it. Through rhythm, voice, and atmosphere, it invites listeners to move without moving, travelling across cultures and continents through the transformative language of sound.