Dub Colossus - A town called Addis [2006] [ethiopia]

   R   E   U   P   L   O   A   D   

       This project brings together an extraordinary but little known African musical heritage, a labour of love recording in a makeshift studio in down-town Addis Ababa and then a journey back to Real World to capture for the first time ever in the UK some of Ethiopia's finest performers.

       This project is the vision of Dub Colossus - Dubulah - aka Nick Page. Composer, guitarist, bass player and programmer Nick started his music career with Michael Riley (Steel Pulse) and in 1990 formed Transglobal Underground with Tim and Hammi, produced-wrote-played six albums before leaving in 1997 to form Temple of Sound with Neil Sparkes.

       Ethiopian music is the hidden gem of Africa. At the end of the Sixties and the early Seventies, Ethiopia was in the dying years of the imperial decline of Haile Selassie and the early years of a brutally repressive junta led by Mengistu. Within the confines of this stifling and constrictive environment there flowered some astonishing music. At times showing Fela Kuti's influences, in the big band sax flavour and other times a different take on regional music, this is a music that is accessible to all and has been championed by the likes of Robert Plant, Brian Eno and Elvis Costello. The style of contemporary Ethiopia music captured by Dub Colossus ranges from dreamy blues, hypnotic grooves, jazz piano and driving funk brass.

       "A Town Called Addis" was inspired by meeting , writing and working with singers and musicians in Addis Ababa in August 2006, and is a collaboration between Dub Colossus (Nick Page) and these amazing musicians covering Azmari and traditional styles as well as the popular singing styles of the 60s and 70s. It seeks to combine the golden years of ethiopique beats (popular again thanks to the release of the critically acclaimed 'Ethiopique' compliation ) and ethiojazz with the dub reggae styles of early 70s reggae groups like the Abyssinians, Mighty Diamonds and so on. along with a hint of Sun Ra..." (Dub Colossus/aka Nick Page)

       The first sessions took place in a breeze block hut under corrugated iron roof bombarded by the sounds of the rainy season high up on the mountain plateau where Addis is built. "...the sound of children playing, dogs barking and women washing all permeate the sessions and help the flavour of the record, albeit as ambient smoke.....Although a howling cat chasing a rat under the roof destroyed one vocal take completely...!"

       We brought these unique urban field recordings home to Real World to complete the picture. In March 2008 we invited a group of outstanding performers from Addis to travel to the UK. Some of these artists are unknown talents who have never traveled outside of their country before now, while others such as singer Sintayehu 'Mimi' Zenebe (Addis Ababa night club owner and know as the Ethiopian Edith Piaf ) and master saxophonist Feleke Hailu (a classical composer, lecturer and head of music at the Yared Music School and part of a dynastic tradition that stretches back far beyond the classic hits his father arranged for Mahmoud Ahmad in the late 1960s) have a huge reputation. They are joined by Teremag Weretow who, with his plaintive voice, playing his messenqo ( one-string fiddle) is a youthful carrier of an ancient tradition; extraordinary pianist Samuel Yirga is an exciting new discovery - a young prodigy of classical and Ethiojazz and finally the glamourous star Tsedenia Gebremarkos, winner of a Kora award as the best female singer in East Africa in 2004,

       From the most primitive recording context to one of the best in the world, this project is an audio journey - and discovery of one of the most alluring, funky and seductive genres of African music.

01. Dub Colossus - Azmari Dub (5:05)

02. Dub Colossus - Entoto Dub (5:55)

03. Dub Colossus - Tazeb Kush (5:52)

04. Dub Colossus - Shegye Shegitu (Blue Nile Mix) (3:54)

05. Dub Colossus - Shegye Shegitu (One Drop mix) (4:49)

06. Dub Colossus - Yeka Sub City Rockers (5:04)

07. Dub Colossus - Shem City Steppers (5:28)

08. Dub Colossus - Tizita Dub (7:38)

09. Dub Colossus - Black Rose (4:06)

10. Dub Colossus - Neh Yelginete (5:40)

11. Dub Colossus - Ophir Dub (4:40)

12. Dub Colossus - Sima Edy (4:40)

13. Dub Colossus - Mercato Music (5:47)

14. Dub Colossus - Ambassel (4:40)

15. Dub Colossus - Ambassel In Box (5:47)

Melkamu Meaza - Deep Abyssinia Mixtape - l [2015] [ethiopia]

         Melkamu Meaza is born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Fan of music since childhood and wanted to be a professional musician but joined a medical school in Addis Ababa University , Gondar college of medical sciences (AAU-GCMS). Then department of surgery in AAU- MF (medical faculty), then public health in ACIPH (Addis coninental institute of public health). Currently he is working as a consultant surgeon. 

        Despite lack of time to make music, he kept in touch by listening to music of all genres. He plays (very little) kirar, guitar and keyboards. Almost since 2 years and 6 months, he set up a small home studio first with only a laptop (9 of Mixtape tracks done only with a laptop) and now is better  (laptop + keyboard + headphones) plus lots of  passion. 

       He became a self thought hobby musician. Melkamu spent almost all spare time on it.  He is inspired by Eric Mouquet, the co-founder of the band Deep Forest. He also like compositions by Mulatu Astatke, Abegasu Shiota and Elias Melka from Ethiopia. Melkamu is planning to work to promote music therapy in Ethiopia and also produce a world class album.

Melkamu Meaza - 01 - Aba Geda - feat. The late Laurete poet Tsegaye Gebremedhin (5:56)

Melkamu Meaza - 02 - Aba alem lemene - feat. GiGi  (10:26)

Melkamu Meaza - 03 - Adwa - feat. GiGi, Kassa T. (5:45)

Melkamu Meaza - 04 - Konso Vibe - feat. various artists (4:21)

Melkamu Meaza - 05 - Mercato - feat. Laurete Tsegaye Gebremedhin. - (5:33)

Melkamu Meaza - 06 - Wengel -  - feat. various artists (3:34)

Melkamu Meaza - 07 - Yigodal - feat. Gossaye Tesfaye, Haile Roots, v.a. (5:20)

Melkamu Meaza - 08 - Tenanekegn - feat. Tewodros Kassahun, Aster Aweke (4:30)

Melkamu Meaza - 09 - Sew Malet - feat. Sebhat Gebre-Egziabher  (4:13)

Melkamu Meaza - 10 - Gamo Gofa - feat. Tsalke, v.a. (3:07)

Music mixed and mastered by Melkamu Meaza; MD, Mph 

(Deep Abyssinia)

All credit for samples used in this project goes to the respective artist or owner.

Released for home entertainment only.

 NOT FOR SALE  !!!!

Black Flower - Abyssinia Afterlife [2014] [b]

      Born out of a surreal experience and with strong devotion Black Flower takes you on a lucid voyage through the gardens of the Abyssinian afterlife. A highly remarkable place, far away from what you and I would call reality. It is a place where strange creatures and unfamiliar sounds merge into a harmony of the weird and the beautiful.

       It is said that these are the secret realms of the long past legendary ruler of Ethiopia, Sir Prester John. Some even claim that he composed these sounds as a way of ruling his ancient land. Whether this is fact or myth, nobody knows for sure...

     Now, for the first time, we have the chance to get a glimpse of this mystical empire. It is no secret any more that Nathan Daems has been chosen to witness this special place. Being such an overwhelming experience, he felt the urge, even the obligation, to share this with the real world. The result is a record he applicably called “Abyssinia Afterlife”.

     It was no easy task finding the right people for this job. In his years of musical exploration, Nathan kept searching for the right people to team up with. A challenging process, because they needed to embrace the idea of looking to music from a whole new perspective. They needed to be able to capture the Abyssinia Afterlife as if they had visited it them-selves. Finally he found four young and dedicated spirits who could do the job.

 This is the moment Black Flower was born.

  Black Flower - Upwards  

 Track list:

    1. Solar Eclipse 6:39 

    2. Upwards 4:59 

    3. I threw a lemon at that girl 5:20 

    4. Jungle desert 4:50 

    5. Winter 5:35 

    6. Star fishing 5:42 

    7. The legacy of Prester John 3:41 

    8. Again I lost it 4:57 

    9. Abyssinia afterlife 7:45

 Nathan Daems - Soprano saxophone, Tenor saxophone, Melodica, Flute 
 Jon Birdsong - Cornet 
 Simon Segers - Drums 
 Wouter Haest - Piano and keyboards 
 Filip Vandebril - Bass, Effects 

 [http://www.dewerfrecords.be/en/catalog/abyssinia-afterlife][http://www.jazzinbelgium.com/album/black.flower_abyssinia-afterlife]

 [http://www.discogs.com/master/view/681766]

Akalé Wubé - Sost [2014] [fra+ethiopia]

         Akalé Wubé’s third album, Sost (“three” in Amharique) is perfectly in line with their previous records, it is also a testament to a more mature and experienced band, who have proved able to win over different audiences in different circumstances with their infectious grooves. While touring in Ethiopia, the band realised that local musicians had stopped playing music from the Swinging Addis golden age. A puzzling but liberating discovery that convinced the band to completely stand behind their project, and release three albums to date.

       More than half of the tracks in “Sost” are original compositions, with the other half being songs discovered on old cassette tapes brought back from Ethiopia. Akalé Wubé have invited the radiant Genet Asefa on three tracks, an Ethiopian singer with whom they have often shared the stage. Cautious to give precedence to authentic encounters, the band have chosen only to invite musicians with whom they have already played in a live context. Manu Dibango’s presence on the album is not an opportunistic move: there are strong human and musical ties between the afro-jazz pioneer and Akalé Wubé. Another sign of the band’s high quality expectations is that the album has been recorded in a studio set up by the band itself in the heart of Paris. This is a space that Akalé Wubé have made their own and which has permitted them to master completely the process of recording this album.

Akalé Wubé - Anbessa (feat Manu Dibango)

       Akalé Wubé's third album is aptly-titled Sost, which means 'three' in Amharic--the official language of Ethiopia. The music is highly groove-based and follows the early traditions of Ethiopian jazz, which is not too unlike the popular Ethiopiques series. About half of the music is based on traditional recordings and cassettes found in Ethiopia, while the other half of the songs are original compositions. The emotive vocalist, Genet Asefa, leads a few tracks with her seasoned voice in line with tradition Ethiopia music. The blurt of a trumpet, the beat of a drum, and a jazzy melody with Afro-jazz flavorings rounds out the gist of each song. However, each song brings something new to light--whether it be a hook, a sound, or a rhythm. Akalé Wubé know how to tease the feet with danceable grooves and lush sounds. This is another acclaimed album. ~ review by Matthew Forss

Akale Wube - Alegntaye (ft. Genet Asefa)

Akalé Wubé - 01 - Anbessa  (feat. Manu Dibango) (3:41)
Akalé Wubé - 02 - Alègntayé  (feat. Genet Asefa) (4:19)
Akalé Wubé - 03 - Mèmona (5:59)
Akalé Wubé - 04 - Kidus à cent dix (5:17)
Akalé Wubé - 05 - Ashewa (4:36)
Akalé Wubé - 06 - Gab's Trap (4:00)
Akalé Wubé - 07 - Addis Abèba Bété (4:40)
Akalé Wubé - 08 - Fikratchin (3:26)
Akalé Wubé - 09 - Erikum (5:28)
Akalé Wubé - 10 - Spring No Come (feat. Genet Asefa)(4:26)
Akalé Wubé - 11 - Meri Tekikil (4:54)

Etienne de la Sayette - flutes, sax

Paul Bouclier - krar, trumpet, percussions

Loïc Réchard - guitar

Oliver Degabriele - bass

David Georgelet - drums

Kibrom Birhane - Kibrom's Tizita [2014] [ethiopia]

visit his website here >  http://www.kibromusika.com/

             Kibrom Birhane is Ethiopian Pianist, Multi Instrumentalist / producer / songwriter / Record / Mix engineer, arranger and composer passionate about Ethiopian folk, world, pop, jazz and gospel music. 

                 Kibrom started his musical career in a very early stage of his life, and had the opportunity to work, perform and record with musicians from all over the world. While attending Los Angeles College of music, he was fortunate to learn under great musicians such as: Sean Halley (Vinnie Colaiuta, Jerry Marotta, Richard Marx), Andre Knecht, Andrew Murdock (Godsmack, Alice Cooper, Linkin Park), Dave Pozzi (Celine Dion, Diana Krall), Howie Shear (George Benson, Stevie Wonder), Tony Inzalaco (Oscar Peterson, Dexter Gordon) and many others.

Kibrom Birhane - Zelesegna  ዘለሰኛ

           Learning how to play the krar, a five stringed traditional Ethiopian lyre, at age 8, Kibrom Birhane found himself enthralled by Orthodox chanting. “Always it moves me when I hear music,” he says. And from that time on he knew he wanted to pursue a career in music. Kibrom eventually began teaching piano to other students for about three years before receiving a scholarship to attend the Los Angeles College of Music where he developed a passion beyond Ethiopian folk music, and became a songwriter and composer focusing on the fusion of Ethiopian folk with jazz and gospel sounds. His debut album entitled ‘Kibrom’s Tizita’ was recently released by Tsehai Records, a new division of Tsehai Publishers. Kibrom describes his new album as “an exploration of Ethiopian heritage through folk and pop music with a jazz backbone.”

           Kibrom is also a record and mixing engineer and says he “learned to play all of these different roles over time, and with that came new innovations” in his music and sound. His solo pieces are among his most personal works, and Kibrom shares that they are “an expression of what I feel at the moment. I don’t study or learn solos; I just play them.”

           Kibrom hopes to reach the younger generation with his music. He sees the power of fusion as a way to expose individuals to Ethiopian music while adopting a style that is already familiar to them (such as jazz). Kibrom has already garnered some success including writing the score for the documentary film ‘Sincerely Ethiopia,’ singing in the award-winning documentary ‘Get Together Girls,’ and composing music for the documentary on the African Union’s 50th year celebration.

     “The raw sincerity of Birhane’s music seeks to make strong connections with listeners as they are transported on a musical journey. And a journey it is – Kibrom uses Ethiopian scales, which are rarely heard in Western music. The distinct nature of these scales makes for hypnotic listening,” states Tsehai Records.

Kibrom Birhane - 01 - Pending Prayer (4:06)

Kibrom Birhane - 02 - Yonas Gorfe Tribute (5:10)

Kibrom Birhane - 03 - Simagne Hageree (4:25)

Kibrom Birhane - 04 - Wazema (5:26)

Kibrom Birhane - 05 - Broken but Beautiful (10:06)

Kibrom Birhane - 06 - Jiret (7:02)

Kibrom Birhane - 07 - Psalm 92 (4:47)

Kibrom Birhane - 08 - Kibrom's Tizita (feat. Etsegenet Mekonnen) (5:03)

Kibrom Birhane - 09 - Zelesegna (4:30)

Kibrom Birhane - 10 - Ambassel (feat. Etsegenet Mekonnen) (4:34)

Samson Kidane & Band - Gelassenheit [2012] [germany+eritrea]

Samson Kidane - The krar has saved my life

       His instrument has saved his life. Samson Kidane agrees his krar, the national instrument of his native Eritrea.

       His language is Tigrinya. His thoughts are cosmopolitan. His music is universal. And his instrument has saved his life. Samson Kidane (47) sits on his sofa and playing on the krar. "I've been so long in Germany, that I sometimes call myself Kölscher Negroes."

SAMSON KIDANE BAND - Mesiluni (I thought)

       Kidane is one of about 25 000 people from Eritrea, who had to leave their country in the 1980s. He was eleven when he became a soldier and went against the Ethiopian government in the war. "I was a freedom fighter, not a child soldier. Like all boys of my age. The war was all over the country. No one could before fleeing." Child soldiers since Kidane is quite convinced there has never been in Eritrea. "None of us has been forced to kill." An eleven year old who draws freely in the fight? Let the simply are. The discussion can not carry on. 

     Five bullets hit Kidane, the child, in a raid on the camp of his unit to which he has come only because there was no one there who could play the krar. "I was previously in another group. They were all killed in another battle. "

  
Kidane survived the raid. You can do it because he is considered dead. Civilians find him, bring him to his people. Samson, the child is treated and transported to Sudan. Doctors from the Swedish Red Cross operate on him. "I had to be operated on a second time. I could come to Cologne because my aunt lived here. Then am here still. "He had been just happy to finally be able to sleep in peace again," that no one in the street shooting at me and I can finally live like a human again. Everything else, my stranger here was completely unimportant."

       Enough of the past, says Samson Kidane, the musicians. Because his lyrics and poems have less to do with what he had as a child as with the wars that are now out in the name of religion between Christians and Muslims experience during the war. "At home," said Samson, "were never made differences between Christians and Muslims. Until I came to Germany, I did not know enmity between Christians and Muslims."  

     Kidanes music combines his African roots with modern musical styles, reggae, hip-hop and rock. In the songs is about justice, repression, solidarity. "The man is crazy, a skilled Doof," it says in the title song of the CD "Serenity".

       

       A trained Goofy. That sounds resigned. But Kidane is the opposite of that, he once had its own cleaning company, organizes festivals and symposia, mixed in the cultural scene of the city. He calls the network, including a Cologne'd say cliques, and he tried his sons Aminadab (14) and Meron (10) to give a taste of home. "You do not know Eritrea yes. I have to ensure that they can speak in their mother tongue. It's their native language. "

      Kidane says this because it's happened to him in similar reason. He was 14 when he came to Germany - and has the theme of integration is a very personal opinion. "I have problems with foreigners who want to be more German than the Germans." For people from Africa it was much more difficult to gain a foothold in Germany. "I think you still do not take us seriously because we regulate much easy with each other." That had a lot to do with the cohesion. The Africans in Cologne were a secret society and it was "very sad that there are no African center in Cologne." What surprised him the discussions that will be conducted, for example, about the many people of Turkish origin. "I think it's almost insulting. Who have grown up here, speak sometimes even Kölsch. The integrated, maybe they live just different. "

       How Kidane, whose music is well known in the opposition his home. He is a cosmopolitan who is looking for the linking between cultures. 

    Kidane himself sees the sober. He once strangers left on a tour through the immigrant milieu in Cologne in his apartment, which have gone on a world tour in your own town.

01 - Samson Kidane & Band - Mehaza (4:34)

02 - Samson Kidane & Band - Gelassenheit (3:49)

03 - Samson Kidane & Band - Ihre anwesenheit (3:14)

04 - Samson Kidane & Band - Sein (4:07)

05 - Samson Kidane & Band - Gefangnis (5:29)

06 - Samson Kidane & Band - Gefahrliche Liebe (3:23)

07 - Samson Kidane & Band - Ich Dachte (2:42)

08 - Samson Kidane & Band - Gerechtigkeit (6:37)

09 - Samson Kidane & Band - Der Mensch ist Wertvoll (5:52)

10 - Samson Kidane & Band - Musika (3:28)

v.a. - [2013] - The rough guide to the music of Ethiopia [cd 1] - Traveling Trough Ethiopia (Vinyl) [ethiopia]

               Whether it conjures up legendary marathon runners, the rock-hewn churches at Lalibela, richly brewed coffee, Rastafarian spirituality, tumbling waterfalls or steaming hot springs, Ethiopia is a country famed for diverse reasons. Home to 82 million residents, the landlocked country is also birthplace to a multiplex of brilliant musics.

           On this Rough Guide the ‘Golden Age’ of recorded Ethiopian music is paid homage to via tracks by seminal Ethio-jazz musicians Mahmoud Ahmed and Alemayehu Eshete. Other handpicked gems are selected from the Ethiopiques album series produced by Francis Falceto, an aficionado and scholar of rare Ethiopian records. The energetic music of saxophone prodigy Getatchew Mekuria references the long history of military brass bands in the country fused with a thoroughly modern rock ethos.

             Dynamic London-based ensemble Krar Collective also make an appearance and rock the track ‘Ende Eyerusalem’ with their signature forthright attitude and soaring female vocals. On the track, ‘Sek’let (Crucifixion)’ Zerfu Demissie can be heard playing the begena, a large Ethiopia harp that reverberates thick and loudly, sounding almost electronic, like a futuristic synthesizer.

             The Rough Guide to Ethiopia also considers some unique fusion projects that marry traditional Ethiopian grooves with dub, rock and punk sensibilities. Dub Colossus is the lovechild of UK musician and producer Nick Page and a host of established Ethiopian artists, including vocalists Tsedenia Gebremarkos and Sintayehu ‘Mimi’ Zenebe. Their sound is amped-up classic dub while Invisible System, a band headed up by UK based producer Dan Harper, explore a more experimental and darker sound and provide the excellent bonus album also.

       This Rough Guide is soaked in the urban cool that pervades Ethiopian music, both traditional and modern. Traverse the grooves of the ancient mountain kingdom, from antique vibes to futuristic styles. 

01.Bole 2 Harlem - Ametballe (4:58)

02.Dub Colossus - Guragigna (5:13)

03.Mahmoud Ahmed - Ohoho Gedama (4:46)

04.Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex & Guests - Musicawi Silt (4:22)

05.Orchestra Ethiopia - Datchene Koba (Trio Of Emblitas) (2:26)

06.Krar Collective - Ende Eyerusalem (7:23)

07.Samuel Yirga - Abet Abet (Punt Mix) (5:11)

08.Zerfu Demissie - Sek'Let (Crucifiction) (3:22)

09.Invisible System - Ambassel (5:29)

10.Tirudel Zenebe - Gue (Wire Tapper Edit) (4:16)

11.Alemayehu Eshete - Ney-Ney Weleba (3:46)

12.Tirudel Zenebe - Gue (7:19)

13.Mohammed Jimmy Mohammed - Mela Mela (4:49)

14.Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou - Homesickness (3:51)

v.a. - [2013] - The rough guide to the music of Ethiopia [cd 2] - Introducing Invisible System [ethiopia]

[cd 2] - Introducing Invisible System

         Invisible System actually has two new records out this year, although both of them incorporate already-released material. The group's music is featured on a digital-only album issued by World Music as part of the compilation entitled The Rough Guide to Ethiopian Music. This disc features earlier material; this enables Dan Harper to welcome new listeners to his canny mix of dark dub, metal, Ethiopian pop, and techno stylings.

          Traditional-sounding songs, such as "Hode Baba (I'm Worried He's Moving)", rock along nicely, balancing jangling guitars with a rocksteady groove and lamenting vocals. On later tracks, like "Skunk Funk" - taken from their 2011 album, Street Clan, my favorite record of last year - Harper swirls things up a bit with psychedelic wah-wah work, lovely drifty melodies, and a spooky vocal performance from Tewabe Tadesse. This is also a great way to experience tracks from The Cauldron EP, including the disorienting dub spectacular "Azmari Fuze", with vocals from wonderful singer/clubowner Mimi Zenebe.

Invisible System - Gondar Sub

         

01.Invisible System - Closer To The Edge (3:36)
02.Invisible System - Gondar Sub (4:04)
03.Invisible System - Tizita (4:04)
04.Invisible System - Dark entries (6:12)
05.Invisible System - Skunk funk (4:33)
06.Invisible System - Azmari fuse (6:41)
07.Invisible System - Maljam kehnoelish (If this is what you want) (4:05)
08.Invisible System - Oumabetty (3:15)
09.Invisible System - Hode baba (I'm worried he's moving) (5:58)
10.Invisible System - Mama yey (5:56)
11.Invisible System - Fiten azorkugn (I turned my face away) (5:49)



   reviews   

The Introducing series has brought some fabulous artists to wider attention. Its latest is a digital- only release of producer and musician Dan Harper's Invisible System. He's a former aid worker who settled in Ethiopia, built a studio and invited some of the country's finest musicians to step inside. He then returned with the tapes to the UK and introduced them to an eclectic range of British musicians.

Introducing comprises four new songs alongside seven from 2009's Punt (nominated for a 2010 Songlines Award), last year's Street Clan, and recent The Cauldron. The line-up includes Ethiopian singer Mahmoud Ahmed (whose vocal on the blues 'If This Is What You Want' is glorious), pianist Samuel Yirga and Justin Adams, as well as Dub Colossus vocalists Tsedenia Gebre Markos, Mimi Zenebe and Desta Firka. Two fast, tight new songs, 'Closer to the Edge' and 'Gondar Sub', start it off, while Tizita's powerful vocal is set to a shady, shimmering semi-electronic backdrop, and the new 'Dark Entries' mixes Ethiopian fiddle with a lean chiming guitar. 'Azmari Fuse' sets what sounds like a field recording under a canopy of layered voices, reverb and Ethiopian fiddle. Fusion can be a messy business, but by assiduously mining several deep veins, this is a well-cut gem, bringing flavours of reggae, trip-hop, dub, post-punk and psychedelia to a strong and pungent Éthiopiques core.

Tim Cumming

A note of caution: despite the title, this is not the first offering from this adventurous fusion project, and you could have heard many of the songs before. Introducing… draws from Invisible System's two previous albums, Punt and Street Clan, as well as The Cauldron EP, and adds some good extra material.

Currently a download-only affair, Introducing… will be released on CD in September, as a "bonus" album with the new Rough Guide to Ethiopia. But it's well worth checking out now if you've not heard Invisible System before.

A boldly unusual project, the man behind it all is Dan Harper. A former aid worker in Ethiopia, Harper built his own studio and persuaded several of the country's best musicians to record with him. Back in England, he asked a wide selection of British musicians to contribute, with Harper on guitar, bass, percussion and programming.

Results, for the most part, are impressive, with the African recordings matched against settings that range from dub reggae to trip hop and psychedelic rock.

Though there were sections on the Street Clan album where the Ethiopians were almost lost in the exuberant musical blitz, Harper manages to avoid such problems here: the backing is assured and at times even restrained, though still highly original.

The Ethiopian musicians include the great Mahmoud Ahmed (whose compelling voice can be heard on Maljam Kehnoelish), along with pianist Samuel Yirga and singers Tsedenia Gebre Markos and Mimi Zenebe of Dub Colossus. The British players include Justin Adamsand Ed Wynne.

Introducing… presents considerable variety, with songs like Oumabetty dominated by powerful Ethiopian female vocals, set against a rumbling bassline, while on Skunk Funk the vocals are set against a slinky groove. Gondar Sub finds African singing dissected by slashing, reggae-influenced guitar lines, and there's more reggae on the upbeat Mama Yey, which includes Jamaican-style toasting.

The closer, Fiten Azorkugn, sounds more mainstream and contemporary, though it's dressed up with throbbing bass and percussion. All told, this is impressively original stuff.

Robin Denselow 2012-07-27

It makes perfect sense that World Music Network would put out a second edition of The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia. The first, in 2004, was a near-perfect sampler comprised of classic tracks from the Ethiopiques collections. Volume 2 goes further, showcasing not only Golden Age performers like Mahmoud Ahmed and Orchestra Ethiopia but also several fusions of those old time sounds with other genres, ideas and players from outside Ethiopia. Thus we are treated to sax great Getatchew Mekuria jamming through a new version of that great standard "Musicawi Silt" accompanied by Dutch band The Ex, the funk/hip hop leanings of Bole 2 Harlem, Krar Collective's tart mix of ancient lyre riffs and modern attitude, Tirudel Zenbe's interpretation of traditional rhythms for contemporary dance floors, solo piano brilliance from Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou (who got her start way back in the 1940s) and much more, including a hot bonus disc by Anglo-Ethiopian outfit Invisible System, who mix familiar Ethiopian modes with techno, dub and all manner of sonic experimentation. Wild, wonderful and very highly recommended.

World Music Central Review

The latest of the label's unlabeled updates/Second Editions/Volume 2s of national overviews they did well by the first time (catalogue number: 1286CD) favors 21st-century material whether it's quinquagenarian Dutch punks inviting a septuagenarian saxophonist up from Addis or Tirudel Zenebe's abrasive Ethiopian disco. On some of the 13 tracks, the beats and tonalities first documented by the completist overkill of Buda Musique's Selassie-era Éthiopiques collections are infused with a funkier feel, but the old-school stuff also sounds pretty fresh-my favorite is a contemplative workout on a buzzing lyre called the begena by Zerfu Demissie, one of many artists here better served as a taste on a sampler than an album-length meal. Which in turn is provided by Anglo-Ethiopian Invisible System's bonus disc, a best-of that often surpasses their track on the overview. Start with "Gondar Sub," or "Dark Entries."

Robert Christgau USA

Which roughly translates as "With Invisible System, which like Dub Colossus dub reggae in its 'package' but has a broader spectrum of styles handling, including post-punk and even techno, finally we get another side of Ethiopian music presented."

Dutch review of the Rough Guide

People really began discovering vintage Ethiopian music with the superb Ethiopiques series, which showed just how varied and soulful the scene was in Ethiopia during the 1970s. It's arguable that it's just as vibrant these days, as this excellent compilation shows. There are some international collaborations from Dub Colossus and Invisible System (who are given an entire bonus album with this disc and are well worth hearing, managing to be sonically adventurous, incorporating many elements, including dub, into their sound, without losing the essential Ethio-centric core of the music), but the focus is on the homegrown. There's still soul, from Mahmoud Ahmed, then the strangeness of Krar Collective, who've been garnering widespread praise, and it's easy to understand why. Jazz has long been part of the spectrum and the glorious Samuel Yirga offers plenty here. The overall variety of the disc makes it a joy, an excellent snapshot of a country's music, and an indispensable primer. Add in cult favorites the Ex on one cut and you have a real winner.

Chris Nickson www.allmusic.com / itunes