Ethiopiques Series

run_time

Well-known member
Picked up the best of compilation from the Ethiopiques series. Really liking it particularly at work where more relaxing sounds are the order of the day
 

zhao

there are no accidents
that entire series is totally aces save for 1 or 2 discs out of 21 that are a bit too dissonant and weird sounding for my bourgeois western ear.

vol. 21, the latest one i think, features solo piano work by an ethiopian princess turned nun. like ethio-jazz meets Satie.

i really wish some of the grooves could be re-done, with more bass and cleaned up sound... would be WIKKID on the dancefloor... sounds great as is for listening, but doesn't stand a chance if mixed with modern cuts for the dance.

oh shit did i just wish for a "Nina Simone RMXED" type abomination from some marketing department???
 

sing_minimal

Well-known member
loving the whole series..haven't seen what songs made it to compilation..i like mulatu astatke one the best in the series, as unexciting as that sounds : )
 
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crackerjack

Well-known member
Picked up the best of compilation from the Ethiopiques series. Really liking it

Me too. Been meaning to get down the new Rough Trade shop, so made this the token purchase on my first token visit.. Gobsmacked at how varied it is - dunno what i was expecting exactly, but this certainly wasn't it.

Heard Cut Chemist play some mulatu astatke and loved it - so my amazon search credits him with Vol 4. Reckon that's the best one to get?
 
Vol 4 is definately the best of all I've heard (it's a compilation of two vinyl lps I've got), but Mahmoud Ahmed's 7 is good too and the Harp of King David (if memory serves correctly maybe 11, my cds aren't at hand) one is totally bizarre but great bass drone type of music with half spoken bible passages. Sorry I can't do it better descriptive justice. Anyone found any other good ones though?
 

sufi

lala
i spent months painstakingly assembling the entire series on mp3 a while ago only to have it obliterated in an hd failure before i'd really listened to it - served me right for an uncharacteristically completist fit of piracy really...

outside of ethiopiques i'd highly recommend
tigist bekele &
sofia shebabweproper hearty habasha pop
(sofia is the lesser known Xtian evangelical sister of gigi, possibly along the lines of poor detained amnesty poster girl helen berhane)

oldies - my all time favorite is marta ashagera

addislive is a top source of streaming ethi sounds, old & new

bonus - http://www.abesha.com/boards/viewtopic.php?p=293510&sid=5294fc842cdc2877658bef17a367ff7d
heh here's an old thread of mine from elsewhere, the links are gone i'm afraid but there's some more top recommendations from the people who know

melkum addis amet = happy millennium!
 

zhao

there are no accidents
first 8 volumes of Ethiopiques posted here. and i've a feeling they not gonna stop there.

the same label started a new Zanzibara series a while back. i never got around to checking it out other than sampling number 1, which sounded great.
 

bnek

Well-known member
wonderful music!

i love mulatu astatke, some of my favorite music, at least in the past few years... theres also a 7" of his stuff released on soundway a while ago, which is brilliant. if anyone is interested i can upload that and some other stuff of his that isnt on vol4.
 

zhao

there are no accidents
i love mulatu astatke, some of my favorite music, at least in the past few years... theres also a 7" of his stuff released on soundway a while ago, which is brilliant. if anyone is interested i can upload that and some other stuff of his that isnt on vol4.

fuck yeah. we is INNERESTED!
 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Temeles off Ethiopiques 4 is a funk classic... thanks for heads up on volumes 11 and 21 :)

I have a random mp3 of an Ethiopian jazz tape somewhere. Assuming I didn't get it off Dissensus in the first place, will upload it if I can find it. Very interesting...
 

bnek

Well-known member
i guess this thread has died, but people need to check vol14 as well - 'Getatchew Mekurya - Negus of Ethiopian Sax' truly strange, hypnotizing music. i love it.
 

zhao

there are no accidents
i guess this thread has died, but people need to check vol14 as well - 'Getatchew Mekurya - Negus of Ethiopian Sax' truly strange, hypnotizing music. i love it.

yes that is a great one. and this sax player made an album with dutch improv post-punk legend the Ex. which is interesting as well - there are some rather embarrassing imitation Mark E. Smith spoken word on 1 or 2 tracks, but it's still pretty nice.
 

ether

Well-known member
the Mulatu Astatqe disc is so good, totally blew my mind when i heard it. played it so much. didnt realise the series was so extensive will definately check out more of the others.
 
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