Legends of Ethiogroove - Songlines Playlist

A playlist curated for Songlines Magazine in May 2016.



Ethiopia’s musical system has evolved over thousands of years and its music is some of the most distinctive in the world – the use of the characteristic qañat (five-note scales) immediately mark a piece as Ethiopian.

This unique musical culture is treasured by Ethiopians, who retain this sound even when mixing in international influences, thus creating the famed ‘Ethiogroove’. From the jazz, soul and funk of 60s and 70s Addis Ababa to hip-hop, reggae and heavy metal of the 21st century, the Ethiopian sound shines through.

This playlist aims to represent a range of Ethiogroove across three categories: the classic early recordings from the Swinging Addis era; the sounds of modern Ethiopia; and Ethiogroove as it exists outside of its motherland.

'Track title' – Artist (Album)

1. 'Shellèla Bèsaxophone' – Getatchew Mekurya (Éthiopiques, Vol. 14: Getatchèw Mèkurya)
2. 'Ametballe' – Bole 2 Harlem (Bole 2 Harlem, Vol. 1)
3. 'Mètché Dershé (When Am I Going to Reach There)' – Mulatu Astatke (Éthiopiques, Vol. 4: Ethio Jazz & Musique Instrumentale (1969-1974))
4. 'Min Alu' – Kuku Sebsebe (Tinish Geze Sitegn)
5. 'Eré Mela Mela' – Mahmoud Ahmed (Éthiopiques, Vol. 7: Mahmoud Ahmed (1975))
6. 'How To Save a Life (Vector of Eternity)' – Mikael Seifu (Zelalem EP)
7. 'Siberber' – Shewandagne Hailu (Sitotash)
8. 'Migoten Manyawkal' – Bezunesh Bekele (Bezunesh Bekele Greatest Hits (Ethiopian Contemporary Oldies Music))
9. 'Habdahlak' – Teddy Afro (Yasteseryal)
10. 'Ayrak' – Jano (Ertale)
11. 'Dewel' – Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics (Inspiration Information 3)
12. 'If That Is What You Want (Melkam Keholnelich)' – Invisible System (Punt (Made in Ethiopia))
13. 'Man Yawqal Yebeten' – Hirut Bekele (Éthiopiques, Vol. 3: Golden Years of Modern Ethiopian Music (1969-1975))
14. 'Ambassel' – Dub Colossus (A Town Called Addis)
15. 'Sebebu' – Aster Aweke (Aster)
16. 'Tezeta' – Seyfu Yohannes (Éthiopiques, Vol. 1: Golden Years of Modern Ethiopian Music (1969-1975))
17. 'Qen Sew (For My Father)' – Ethiopian Records (Qen Sew EP)
18. 'Sema' – Tlahoun Gessesse (Éthiopiques, Vol. 3: Golden Years of Modern Ethiopian Music (1969-1975))
19. 'Gud Fella' – Gigi (Gigi)
20. 'Nanu Ney' – Ester Rada (Ester Rada)
21. 'Che Belew Shellela' – Getachew Mekurya & The Ex (Moa Anbessa)

Listen to the playlist online here.

DJ Katapila - Trotro

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 118, June 2016.

DJ Katapila
Trotro
Awesome Tapes From Africa (44 mins)

When Brian Shimkovitz asked Ghanaian DJ Katapila if Awesome Tapes From Africa could rerelease his 2009 tape Trotro, the DJ was surprised – that tape had never been released, but was a hit in the pirated music shops of Kumasi. So here we are.

Katapila makes electronic dance music – various different vibes can be heard here, from acid house and early techno to more modern sounds such as azonto. More subtle influences come from Ghanaian traditional rhythms and international styles such as salsa and zouk. Altogether, the sound is actually rather minimalist, which usually works in its favour. It can sometimes go a bit far, though – some tracks are barely more than a drum-machine loop.

All sounds heard on this record come from Katalipa and his electronic wizardry. But there’s an element that made the album difficult listening for this reviewer: the grating and incessant use of high, pitch-shifted vocal samples. It’s quite interesting for a few pieces, but by the end of the album it becomes very irritating.

In the correct environment – in a club, or as part of a DJ set – any of these tracks would probably go down well, but they don’t stand up as an album for focussed listening.

Oumar Konaté - Maya Maya

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 117, May 2016.

Oumar Konaté
Maya Maya
Clermont Music (CD: 49 mins; Digital: 55 mins)

Hailing from Gao and living in Bamako, Oumar Konaté is part of the new generation – the Young Malian Artists; musicians taking conflict in stride and making music with an international gaze, while never leaving their traditions out-of-reach.

Since his first album, 2014’s Addoh, with its large band and numerous guest musicians, Konaté has concentrated his group down to a trio: himself on guitars and vocals, Cheick Siriman Sissoko on bass and Makan Camara on drums. The album’s liner notes state that the group is “a power trio on the level of Cream or Band of Gypsies”. What a claim. It’s one that’s basically impossible to live up to despite the group’s proficiency, although Hendrix’s legacy can be heard very clearly in Konaté’s solos.

Over the entire album, the Malian-ness (Malinity?) seems to decrease: for the first five or so tracks the sound is very rooted in the Mandé styles, but by the end the tracks are straight-up rock. The two aren’t blended as well as they could be, leading to disappointing ‘what ifs’. A low-level reggae does permeate throughout to good effect, however.

Handy hint: if you buy the album as a digital download, you get two extra tracks.

Dizu Plaatjies and Friends - Ubuntu: the Common String

First published in fRoots issue 393, March 2016

Dizu Plaatjies and Friends
Ubuntu – The Common String
Mountain Records (58 mins)

As one of South Africa’s foremost ‘world music’ exports, an expert in the musical bow and many of his country’s traditional styles, Dizu Plaatjies is a musician who constantly strives to evolve his sound. This has led to the creation of this ‘and Friends’ album, exploring other sounds with the help of his guest musicians.

In this album, Plaatjies is once again backed by his Ibuyamba Ensemble (the band he formed after leaving the legendary Amapondo), but the sound is more formed by and focussed on the many guest musicians that he introduces, including South African classical guitarist Derek Gripper (most well-known for his transcriptions of kora pieces for guitar) and French jazz group L’Arbre Canapas.

The idea of Ubuntu is commonality, and it’s not a huge surprise that this album strives towards the pan-African. The end result is actually more pan-Southern African, although his guests provide very occasional influences from more northerly climes such as Uganda and the Mandé region.

Quite a few of the tracks here are very repetitive – and not in a trancey, circular fashion that drags you in, either. These include the opener 'Bantu Biko', which repeats the same few lines for more than four minutes and is not the best advertisement for the rest of the album. The repetition comes back with the obligatory song to Nelson Mandela, 'Mandela Afrika', a self-consciously ‘epic’ sounding track that feels a bit cheesy and out-of-place.

However, despite a few weak tracks, there are definite highlights on the album that do redeem to some degree. The maskandi-with-mbira 'Langa Ola' and the dripping-with-blues 'Phalisa', both featuring the 12-string goodness of guitarist Nthombi Thongo are prime examples, and the Derek Gripper-led 'Ukuzu kwe Langa' is particularly beautiful.

There are definitely more enjoyable tracks than not here, although there are quite a few pieces that seem less polished than they could be. It leads to an overall average-to-good album, which may stand up better to listening and downloading instead.

Damily - Very Aomby

First published in fRoots issue 393, March 2016

Damily
Very Aomby
Hélico Music (52 mins)

Is there any country so adept at bringing such effortlessly joyous and sunny music as Madagascar?

Damily is a star of tsapiky, the unique guitar style from the town of Tuléar, in the southwest of the island. As a mixture of music from several different traditional Malagasy cultures and South African dance styles, tsapiky guitar is fast, circular and, of course, made to move your body.

The France-based group travelled back to Madagascar to record Very Aomby and the end results are delightfully lo-fi; with crunchy guitars and distorted vocals, the whole album is lent an earthy and down-home vibe. Every track was recorded as-live, with no second takes or re-records, and several of the tracks were recorded in a makeshift metal tent at a party – it all lends to the atmosphere of a bunch of mates having a homemade jam just for you. The album and its production pull off the immersion perfectly.

While songs themselves talk of many subjects – in fact, most often of various unfortunate events and scenarios – the music itself never lets up in its infectious danciness. Even in its more introspective and quieter moments, the music seems to command that you at least sway along, and it’s difficult to listen to more than a few seconds of any track without feeling better about yourself.

Toumaranke - Takhaudi Dékau: Inside the Chicken’s Mouth

First published in fRoots issue 393, March 2016

Toumaranke
Takhaudi Dékau: Inside the Chicken’s Mouth
Self-Released (58 mins)

Percussion and voice from the Guinean ensemble, led by a Brit and recorded in Gambia. Drums, balafon and gongomah (mbira-like lamellaphone) – with occasional bridge-harp and satongé sound-alike – intertwine with polyrhythms and polyphony in this as-traditional album. Good record, if mostly unremarkable.

Ortanitza - Folktron

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 115, March 2016.

Ortanitza
Folktron
Fusion Embassy (49 mins)

In the second full-length album from Bulgarian folk distorters Oratnitza, the quartet continues their quest to meld their traditional music with international rhythms and global bass, through completely acoustic means. The sound is quite old-school in many ways – harking back to the golden era of world fusion, introducing elements from drum’n’bass, electronica and dub. But they’re not afraid to let the folk styles take over.

Oddly, considering that the group define themselves as ‘ethnobass’, bass sounds are disappointingly absent. The low-end is provided by a keyed didgeridoo, which sounds great but doesn’t drop to the bowel-worrying levels that some of the pieces call for. Likewise, some sections feel like they could do with deeper rhythms than the single-drum percussion can really deliver.

There are places where the fusion really shines, though: the dark harmonies between Bulgarian singing and didgeridoo, such as in the tracks ‘Yaninka’ and ‘Beginning’, are wonderful; and guest solos of kaba bagpipes and galdulka fiddle help place the album’s musical provenance.

Alone in the otherwise all-acoustic set, the last track is a remix from drum’n’bass duo High Roll, fully bringing on the electronics and drum machines. It’s an interesting look at the other side of the fusion coin to end the album.