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Downloads to Spare? Try The Éthiopiques Series
As some of you know, a complimentary month's subscription to eMusic is available through the link on the right column of Rock Town Hall. Some of you might find it worth a try, and some of you might stick with it. I've been a subscriber for about 6 months now, and as a rock 'n roller I'm usually disatisfied with the ample selection of crap modern music that the indie rock reviewers/publicists tout. As an older head, eMusic is not loaded with those elusive reissues of Eric Burdon and the New Animals b-sides that are so easy to buy when faced with a Hobson's Choice. Most months I need to do a little work to fill my shopping cart with 30 downloads, but I always come home satisfied with some cool stuff I might otherwise have never tried.
Sometimes I try on a Neu! for the fifth time and and find that, after having thought little of them the first four times I was exposed to their music, they now work like a charm! Lately I've been dipping my toes in international waters, primarily music from various parts of Africa I, sadly, could not identify on a map lacking labels. This month I downloaded a heap of Ethiopian music from something eMusic featured called The Éthiopiques Series. As I listen back and forth to Townsman Hrrundi's latest edition of Thrifty Music and these new, old finds from Ethiopia, I thought I'd share a few with you. I know nothing about these artists and the songs, although I read that one of the artists is a key to the extremely groovy soundtrack of Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers. Remember that cool music that plays throughout? Some of that stuff is from this Ethiopia scene from the late-60s through mid-70s. But I know nothing about any of it. Other than what I'm spinning this week. Enjoy the following tracks, about which I cannot even discern the artist vs track name!
Mahmoud Ahmed, "Almaz Men Eda New"
Tlahoun Gessesse, "Tezalegn yetentu"
Getatchew Mekurya, "Almaz Yeharerwa"
You can read about this series here.
9 comments
There's also that Vol. 4, Instrumentals album that I'm going to download in its entirety. I would think a Kentonite like yourself would especially dig that stuff. I think "Nostalgia" is from that one. That number really hits my soul!
As you may know they have all the old Stiff material. Plus all the Kinks albums from the RCA and Arista eras.
If you want advice on more African stuff just let me know. For starters they have the legendary collaborations between the two giants of the Congoloese style -- Omona Wapi by Franco and Rochereau.
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