If you are a DJ or want to curate a playlist, you need the right tracks. Here is a to get that authentic Calabar feel:

Before you search or press play, it helps to know the sub-genres usually found in this mix:

He dropped Dame Patience Umo Eno’s “Inyanga Nka.” The Ibibio lyrics washed over the crowd like a prayer. Men in suits loosened their ties. A fish seller from Watt Market closed her eyes and sang along, her voice lifting above the speakers. She was sixteen again, dancing at the May Day carnival.

DJ Zion leaned into the mixer, his eyes closed. He wasn't just playing tracks; he was weaving a bridge. He layered a crisp trumpet solo over a lo-fi hip-hop beat, making the old men nod in respect and the teenagers scream in surprise.

The generator hummed back to life on its own—or maybe no one noticed because the music had become the only power source that mattered.

An old man in a wheelchair, who had been staring blankly at the stage, suddenly straightened his back. His wife, fanning herself, froze. “Benny?” she whispered.

The air in Calabar doesn't just sit; it hangs heavy with the scent of roasted bolé and the salt of the Atlantic. But tonight, in a small corner bar off Marian Road, the air was vibrating.

Some popular tracks and mixes associated with the Calabar Highlife DJ mix include: