"Last August, I spent a week or so in Eritrea during the country's annual cultural festival. I was alone and documented a lot—buidings, food, the names of internet cafés, among other things. Hunting for music, I spent a lot of time in a small music shop opposite the Asmara post office. I was looking for RnB, but fell in love with the cover artwork of the EPLF (Eritrean People’s Liberation Front) cassette tapes instead. Recorded in the ‘70s and ‘80s, the songs were sung, performed, recorded and distributed among the various EPLF contingents during their 21 year struggle against the Ethiopian occupation and its infamous Derg, before winning independence in 1991.
The silky voiced Tefono and female freedom fighter Abrehet Ankere were among the most popular singers as well as the much-loved Wedi Tikul,. The songs are still listened to today—mostly on cassette tape—and even the saddest lyrics move along happily with a popcorn kind of rhythm."
—NJ Stallard
tracklist :
01 - Kede'At Deki Hager — Fihira
02 — Ayresanayon 77 — Tefono
03 — Wahiz Gu'zo — Zemach
04 — Ab Bebeynu Ewan (Fechew version) — Wedi Tukul
Ethiopian jazz is a major branch of African music that comes from the bars of Addis Ababa and draws its influence from jazz and traditional Ethiopian music, azmari, Latin sounds and Anglo-American funk. Choosing to adapt this music in a contemporary and more urban style, Arat Kilo draws inspiration from rock music and the hypnotic sounds of dub.
Their show alternates compositions and standard Ethiopian arrangements (a beautiful meeting was held at RFI’s studio with Mulatu Astatké, the father of Ethiopian jazz)
Born of a meeting to the Musiqueyras’s festival in July 2008, Arat Kilo is an elecric quintet which revisits the Ethiopian jazz and grooves of the seventies: between modern grooves, compositions and Ethiopian standards.
01 - Arat Kilo - Ankober Hotel (3:42)
02 - Arat Kilo - Lonmewo Lalie (feat. Mimi) (3:24)
The meeting of the mythical Dutch punk-rock band The Ex and the legendary Ethiopian saxophonist Getatchew Mekuria has given rise to a CD (Terp Records) as well as many performances to enthusiastic audiences in various venues and festivals, among them the concert in Diksmuide.
Most compositions come from the Ehtiopian repertoire. While The Ex do not speak Amharic and Getatchew understands only a few words of English, communication flows between them, in the sensitive way they find musical solutions, the energy they put in and the instant pleasure of playing together.
Getatchew Mekuria (Mekurya) – Biography Gétatchèw Mèkuria is an Ethiopian jazz saxophonist. Mèkuria began his musical studies on traditional Ethiopian instruments such as the krar and the messengo, and later moved on to the saxophone and the clarinet. Upon reaching adolescence, he began his career in 1949 as a part of the Municipality Band in Addis Ababa. In 1965 he joined the famous Police Orchestra. He was also one of the first musicians to play an instrumental version of the Ethiopian war chant “Shellela.” With the album Negus of Ethiopian Sax (since re-released as part of the Ethiopiques CD series), Mekuria became known as internationally as one of the most important proponents of Ethio-jazz. He has had a long career working alongside many of the biggest orchestras in the Ethiopian capital. He has also accompanied Alemayehu Eshete, Hirut Beqele and Ayalew Mesfin. He still lives in Addis, and shows up regularly at the Sunset Bar at the Sheraton. In 1974, he became a professor of police orchestras (?) in Addis, where he still lives. The album "Negus of Ethiopian Sax" caught the ears of Dutch avant-garde/punk band The Ex who invited the septuagenarian sax player to perform at their 25th anniversary show in Amsterdam. In turn, Mekuria asked The Ex to be the backup band for his 2006 album, Moa Anbessa. The Ex and Mekuria toured The Netherlands, Belgium and France together in 2006 and 2007.
01. Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex Orchestra - Muziqawi Silt (5:24)
02. Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex Orchestra - Ethiopia Hagere (7:01)
03. Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex Orchestra - Sethed Seketelat (5:05)
04. Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex Orchestra - Ambassèl (5:06)
05. Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex Orchestra - Belomy Benna (6:16)
06. Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex Orchestra - Che Belew Shellela (4:41)
07. Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex Orchestra - Aynamaye Nesh (5:08)
08. Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex Orchestra - Aynotche terabu/Shemonmwanaye (8:08)
09. Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex Orchestra - Eoleyo(6:51)
10. Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex Orchestra - Aha Begena (6:57)
11. Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex Orchestra - Tezalegn Yetentu (11:17)
12. Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex Orchestra - (Getatchew Mekuria solo encore) (4:35)
The Ex – Biography
After their start in 1979 The Ex developed over the years into a melting-pot of divergent musical styles: noise, rock, jazz, improvisation, and ethnic music have been interweaved under one unique umbrella: ‘Ex-music’. Discordant, highly rhythmic guitars, the rolling, almost African drumming style, and the furious delivery of the often sarcastic lyrics give the music of The Ex its special character.
So far, in almost 28 years, The Ex played 1,270 concerts all over Europe, Northern America and Africa, and made over 20 CD-albums. Never pigeon-holed into one of pop music’s corny corners, The Ex is continuously in development, and always open for new ideas and collaborations with people of all kinds, people who’s spirit inspires and appeals to the group. The main principle remained; to make music with heart and soul, out of reach of commercial trends or expectations. The consequent independent approach of the group and the manner in which they organize their concerts and release and distribute their records themselves, set a significant example for the alternative music circuit.
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