Invisible System's live performances at festivals and concerts in the UK, and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), have been known to simulate, attack, relax, exhaust people from dancing, confuse, uplift and even frighten others!
With Dennis Wint as the main front man in the UK he has become known by the press as a cross between a Jamaican/African Johnny Rotten and a rasta preacher man for spirituality and social justice whilst being a live cannon.
From playing with bands like Dreadzone to playing the main stages at festivals across the UK, Invisible System have crossed dance, dub and reggae, rock, post-punk, acid and world music with similar shows taking place alongside their Ethiopian singers in Addis.
These recordings illustrate how Invisible System sound live. A much more intense and stripped down beast than some of their album track releases.
01 - Invisible System - Grazella Heart(live Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)(5:51)
Ayoe Angelica (b. 1988), is a Danish-Ethiopian female jazz / soul singer. She débuted with her ”I’m Amazed” album, in co-operation with producer / composer Mads B. B. Krog (aka Plateaux Techniques). Ayoe delivers an exciting combination of soulful vocals, acoustic elements and crunchy electronics, complemented by a touch of lo-fi jazz.
Ayoe is one of those young talents you unsuccessfully could travel around the world looking for. And then it turns out that she walks around in Scandinavia in the small country of Denmark. The 20-year-old Danish/Ethiopian singers’ debut I’m amazed is an album that sets new standards for what modern pop, jazz/soul can, and wants to do. Ayoe Angelica wants to do quite a lot. Besides presenting us to some of the most intelligent music with hit guarantee heard in a long time, she is also a young woman with great social and human indignation. Ayoe
Angelica is determined that 10 percent of the profit from I’m Amazed goes to relieve poor children in her second home country of Ethiopia.
Ayoe Angelica is a natural talent, who started singing before she could speak. She grew up in the countryside of Denmark, and from her parents she received musical input stretching from Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald to Spice Girls. To her parents free musical and creative upbringing and large record collection was added singing and music teaching, all though many of her song teachers had to - after first being overwhelmed - recognize that a talent of Ayoe Angelicas calibre was difficult to combine with an ordinary Scandinavian song teaching tradition. In school she became interested in jazz music, formed her own jazz band, while at the same time becoming lead singer in the local big band. This brought her to a traditional Riverboat jazz festival, where she during a jam session met the Danish producer Mads B. B. Krog. He was completely thrilled by Ayoe Angelicas voice and stage performance and immediately suggested that they worked together.
The producer, musician and composer Mads B. B. Krog had, through a 10 year period with more than 100 releases behind him, finally developed his completely personal musical sound and musical language called Plateaux Techniques. The meeting between them sparkled. Immediately after ending high school Ayoe Angelica left home and moved to Copenhagen. Here she and Mads B.B. Krog began the work on what later would become the album I’m Amazed.
This is the result. 11 completely irresistible songs that all move around in a musical borderland, one can attempt to characterize as a mixture of crunchy electronics, lo-fi jazz and melodic soul. But one should be careful to label Ayoe Angelica and I’m Amazed with too many designations. Because this is first and last a musical mix of creative genre defining and refreshing character, that leaves one speechless - and you really just have to listen, sense and experience it with an open mind.
01 - Ayoe Angelica - Dr. Jekyll (4:00) 02 - Ayoe Angelica - Left Side (3:08) 03 - Ayoe Angelica - Get A Hold (4:07) 04 - Ayoe Angelica - Everybody Loves You (4:15) 05 - Ayoe Angelica - Sugar (3:48) 06 - Ayoe Angelica - God Bless The Child (3:39) 07 - Ayoe Angelica - Also On A Tuesday (3:03) 08 - Ayoe Angelica - Face With Nobody (4:40) 09 - Ayoe Angelica - I Want You (4:07) 10 - Ayoe Angelica - Never Drown (4:43) 11 - Ayoe Angelica - I'm Your Piano (6:18)
Danish press reviews:
Woman 5/6 (Record of the month)
“Wow! You are overwhelmed by how beautifully, atmospherically, and tastefully this debutant singer melts together with the sound picture.”
Costume 5/6
“…An ultra charming version of Billie Holiday mixed with Portishead on a happy day.”
Q 4/5
“Great Sunday music! Denmark’s new jazz diva”
Bazar 4/6
“…A delicious mixture of pop, soul and jazz, which is the perfect sound tapestry for a quiet Sunday.”
Copenhagen Magazine 4/6
“…A great offer for this summers warmest and crispest soundtrack.”
Chili 4/6
“The only 20year old Ayoe’s vocal is eminently delicious, soft, natural and pleasant.”
Sirene
“Rarely does a debut sound more seductive and inviting than on Ayoe Angelicas new CD, I’m Amazed”
Minyeshu Kifle Tedla was born in the city of Dire Dawa in the east of Ethiopia. During her childhood she moved to Addis Ababa and at the age of 17 she joined the leading ‘National Theatre’ of Ethiopia. Here she developed her artistic multi talents as a singer, dancer, producer and choreographer. With the crème de la crème of the Ethiopian music scene she toured the world around - within 4 month over more than 35 countries - and performed at the greatest Ethiopian music and dance production ever: ‘People to People’.
She joined the stage with famous Ethiopian musical icons such as Mulatu Astatke and singers Mahmoud Ahmed, Tilahun Gessesse, Bizunesh Bekele and many more. To widespread her wings as an artistic multi talent she performed in Ethiopian cinema as well, playing a leading role as an actress in the movie ‘Senait’
Clashing Egos successfully blend the sound of Mo' Wax-like trip hop grooves and exotic sounds with the voices of Darryll-Ann frontman Jelle Paulusma, British singer Kirsty Hawkshaw and Ethiopian vocalist Minyeshu Kifle.
Especially the latter does an impressive performance on the melancholic Afro tune 'Aminjig Nebere (I Trusted You)'. The album reveals itself as a steady grower, so don't trust your initial judgment and certainly use a headset when listening to it because it's truly a sound experrience. "We wanted to make a beautiful album’. It’s much more than just that, it's electronic soulmusic for the 21st century.
dub Addis was born in Durham, North Carolina in 1994 from two Ethiopians, Dereje Tesfaye and Fresew Taye, under the mentorship of Bassie Kangudi from Kinshasa, Congo. In 1995 dub Addis expanded adding Vernon “Aessay” Perry Jr. and Bashier Shakur, African diasporees living in NC. This group became African Children. After performing as African Children around the east coast of U.S., in June 1999, dub Addis departed to Austin TX.
dub Addis - Stay strong
They continued their musical journey with Chris Toms on drum, Aessay and Ras Jorje from Cuba on bass, Asa Savage from Corpus Cristy, TX on lead guitar, Ann Savage from the Philippines on flute, Kuchingo from Brazil on percussion, IdowuAdwale from Nigeria on rhythm guitar, and Johan Dentant from Belgium on alto sax. They've touched Austin, Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, TX with their international sound.
In June 2001, dub Addis returned to their home base in Durham, NC and were joined by North Carolinia reggae-phile Tre "Sost" Tomson on bass. After performing as a trio for few year, dub Addis added horn section and rhythm guitar.
Currently dub Addis features : Dereje Tesfaye - lead vocal and keys, Jae Fields on trumpet, vocals and keys, Serena Wilie on saxophone and vocals, Ricardo James on trumpet and vocals Dean Irwin on bass and Kenneth Joseph on drums.
01. Dub Addis - Yes I (3:52) 02. Dub Addis - And Enat (Mother of All) (5:53) 03. Dub Addis - Ethio-Vibe (8:03) 04. Dub Addis - No Pain (2:57) 05. Dub Addis - Asio (5:35) 06. Dub Addis - Social Justice (5:04) 07. Dub Addis - Addisu (7:58) 08. Dub Addis - Dar Eskedar (4:22) 09. Dub Addis - Gun Shot (4:20) 10. Dub Addis - Yes I Dub (3:37) "We are dedicated to writing our own material and determined to bring a positive sound to the masses..Our songs vary from traditional Ethiopian rhythms to Roots Reggae." - Dereje
Girma Beyene was one of the arrangers who made the Ethiopian music of the Golden Era different than the music of today. He was a lyricist, a music writer, an arranger, a vocalist, an accomplished pianist and finally a bandleader. To most, if any name comes to mind with the word arranger, it is probably that of Mulatu Astatke. Yet, according to Ethiopiques Series producer Francis Falceto*, in the heyday of vinyl records, Girma Beyene is credited to having arranged close to 65 titles, compared to Mulatu's 40.
The 7th edition of the Ethiopian Music Festival held from the 7th to 17 May 2008 in Addis Ababa. Organized by the Alliance Ethio-Francise as a part of its centenary celebration and as a tribute to the Ethiopian pianist, composer and arranger Girma Beyene, the festival bring renowned and young musicians.
Francis Falceto in his book Abyssinia Swing, a pictorial history of modern ethiopian music describes Girma as one of a pioneering generation of artists that has a huge influence on the current ethiopian music. From the very beginning of the 1960’s and for some twenty years, he ranked among the ethiopian musical scene’s most creative and prolific artists. He left precious few recordings behind him as a vocalist: it was above all as a pianist, organist, composer and arranger that Girma made his mark on what is today agreed to be the golden age of ethiopian music. Throughout the heyday of Vinyl record production (1969-1978), the figure of Girma Beyene dominated the recording sessions. The then-privileged partner of Alemayehu Eshete, Girma innovated, through his simple and to-the-point playing, melding the lightness of pop into the ethos of a changing Ethiopia. Admired for his musical elegance, Girma none the less met one of the saddest fates in ethiopian music. Though his countrymen still remember his charming voice and his knack for pop, they have totally forgotten his role and importance as an innovator.
Going into exile in the USA in 1981, Girma departed the ethiopian music scene, sinking into the anonymous “Little Ethiopia’ of America’s East Coast. According the Alliance booklet, there has been a renewed interest of late in the work and personality of Girma Beyene. International groups such as the Either/ Orchestra, The Daktaris, Le Tigre (Platanes), The Ex, Badume's Band and Antibalas have added some of Girma’s major compositions to their repertoires.
