If you like the Ethiopian soul-funk sound of the early 1970s, you should find much to enjoy in this contemporary take on it.
Eritrea is Ethiopia's neighbour and many of the country's musicians actually contributed to those classic recordings. The main difference with this contemporary project is the influence of Jamaican reggae. But the dub elements fold perfectly into the sinuous Ethiopian grooves – as our own Dub Colossus have already demonstrated. Vibrant, heady and sensuous stuff.
Eritrea is back. After thirty years of war with Ethiopia and a decade of seclusion, the Asmara All Stars now introduce some of the best musicians and vocalists from Eritrea on the forthcoming Out Here Records release “Eritrea’s Got Soul”. Eritrea has been almost cut off from most outside influences since the early 70s. Recording an album is not an easy task in a country where many aspects of life are dominated by political concerns, and where every working musician gets a salary from the state.
The Asmara All Star project is all about leaving politics behind and focusing on making exciting music. At first, French producer Bruno Blum had a hard time getting the ball rolling, but eventually more and more musicians got excited by his unusual approach and talent began flocking to the studio. In the end ideas were flowing freely in Asmara. A process with several obstacles along the way. The fruit of this long but ultimately rewarding process are now released on this very special album. In a way Eritrea has vanished from the world’s radar. Music lovers around the world have been showing a huge interest in Ethiopian reissues from the 70s. A closer look reveals that many of the musicians on vintage Ethiopian music were really Eritrean.
Today The Asmara All Stars continue to play in a style reminiscent of the golden age of the big band sound, charged with Eri-jazz, soul and roots reggae. The decades of isolation have somehow kept this music alive. The album was recorded in Asmara, Eritrea’s capital city, in 2008 with a heavy, analog live band sound featuring electric krar, a full horn section, a funky organ and haunting vocals by some of the country’s most famous singers. Young singer Temasgen Yared came up with the soulful “Ykre Belni”, seemingly straight out of the heyday of Abyssinian soul jazz. Another highlight is Faytinga’s “Amajo” which fuses Kunama rhythms with a roots reggae beat, and Mahmoud Ahmed Omer delivering the uptempo dancefloor smash “Adunia” featuring a rare sample of local hip-hop...'Eritrea’s Got Soul' explores the vast variety of this country’s genuine music: Tigré legends Ibrahim Goret and Brkti Weldeslassie stand alongside the raw “blues” “Inedir” by Adam Hamid and the beautiful talent of young Sara Teklesenbet.
The album brings together different musical styles and rarely heard languages by eight ethnic groups, including Kunama, Nara, Bilen, Afar, Saho, Hedaareb, Tigré and Tigrigna. A rebirth of urban Eritrean music from the depths of the country’s rich history. The album was produced by Bruno Blum from Paris. A guitarist, songwriter, producer and free spirit, he is known for his Serge Gainsbourg dub and DJ remixes and the now classic version of Bob Marley’s “War” (featuring Haile Selassie’s original speech and the Wailers).
01. Amajo (Feat. Faytinga) 3:38
02. Ykre Belni (Feat. Temasgen Yared) 5:19
03. Adunia (Feat. Mahmoud Ahmed Omer, Temasgen Hip Hop & Doc Reggae) 6:37
Mary Armeday's love-folk songs and her unique krar playing style have become a classic in the history of ethiopian music and she will forever be remembered for her talent and her love for entertaining.
Basically an audio travel scrapbook, Sleeping in the Market takes listeners on a tour of the Ethiopian region of Amhara.
Our guides are Mehari Smon and his son Yayehe. The former is making a pilgrimage back to his roots; the latter is pointing a microphone at local musicians, whether they are professionals performing in an Adiss-Abbaba teahouse or children singing and dancing in the streets of poor neighborhoods.
The Smons are quiet guides, letting the people and places speak for themselves. Their document presents music caught in the social act, music embedded in everyday life.
A young girl greets us first on the street, singing to support her family. Her "Laluyeah" is quite moving. She belongs to a small group of children coming back regularly throughout this short album -- their songs offer a counterpoint to their elders' music, of which "Endaw Mela Mela" is the most significant. Captured in a teahouse and 13 minutes in duration, it features a male/female duo of singers. The man also plays the accordion in a style very typical of that part of Africa, while the vocals hint at Muslim cultures, especially the art of qawwali (both in the vocal inflections and the call-and-response system).
The album is slightly short at 39 minutes, but it offers a pleasant listening curve.
1. Laluyeah (Yearning Song) (3:38)
2. Bale-Whashinto (3:20)
3. Berewoo Taha Taha (The Bull, Taha, Taha) (8:03)
4. Demam Era Dema (1:36)
5. Aderch Arada (Sleeping In The Market) (1:47)
6. Bale Ageru (2:29)
7. Ney, Ney, Ney (Come, Come, Come) (5:08)
8. Endiaw Mela Mela (Compassion) (13:03)
The production/compilation approach is somewhat similar to Sublime Frequencies' line of field recordings (Streets of Lhasa, for instance). ~ François Couture
