In April 2012, after three years of collaboration, they recorded their first album of lyre music, Bejawiya, all with words in the Beja language. The band played several concerts in Cairo in support of the album’s release and received a fantastic response from audiences all over the city.

Never before has the lyre been at the forefront of a contemporary ensemble and been used as a complete musical instrument. Otaak Band plays thousand-year-old traditional melodies, pop-rock songs, and everything in between. Otaak opens a direct link to the ancient past while creating a sound that's completely contemporary.

In January and February 2014 Otaak Band conducted a tour of the United States, bringing this multi-faceted educational and cultural experience to an international audience for the first time. Video footage from this tour, along with over 30 hours of footage from the band's three years in Egypt, will be used in a forthcoming documentary of the Otaak Band story, as well as a concert DVD from the band's performance at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, IL.

Otaak Band is equal parts entertainment and education. In addition to concerts, the band conducts workshops and master classes on rhythm and dance, Beja society and culture, traditional arts and crafts, and building and playing the masankop. Miguel and Ahmed are dedicated to bringing their unique brand of Sudanese-American lyre music to the international stage, and preserving the cultural heritage of the great Beja civilization.