And now we funk East
I promised some more grunting funk today, so here it is. Fresh-off the 8th volume of the popular Ethiopiques series, Swinging Addis, here's Ethiopia's Alemayehu Eschete sounding like he's...
View ArticleEast-coast diva
Aster Aweke is one of contemporary Ethiopian music's finest voices. She was born in Gonda, Ethiopia, but grew-up in Addis Ababa. By the mid-1970s she had developed an interest in local music and...
View ArticleThe soul before Bloody Saturday
I already posted an Alemayehu Eshete track a while back, but I didn't really do the guy justice. It's a rare cloudy day in Dakar and everyone seems to be moving a little slower. Perfect weather for...
View ArticleWhen World Music Goes Wrong
Benn loxo listener, Henri, sent me a video clip from the Ethiopian concert we both attended in Bobigny last week. We exchanged a couple e-mails on our thoughts about the show.. here’s what I think:...
View ArticleAmharic in Harlem
Benn loxo listener, Tristra, sent me some really great new music the other day. Bole 2 Harlem are an Ethiopian-American group out of NYC who combine traditional Ethiopian sounds with hiphop and other...
View ArticleNot exactly Christmas music
Don’t get me wrong – I love Christmas, especially the bit where I get to blast Domenic The Italian Christmas Donkey in my car with the windows down. But I need a break after the overdrive of carols… so...
View ArticleJames Brown in Africa
James Brown died today. He was 73. Benn loxo listener, Henri, sent me this Sekouba Diabaté track to post as a tribute. I’ll also post a track by “Ethiopia’s James Brown”, Alemayehu Eshete, to show how...
View ArticleCollisions
I went to a Gotan Project show the other night in Paris. They saved the best for last- their encore included a great version of Triptico, my favourite track that brings back memories of rainy Toronto...
View ArticleBetter live
Today we break from our Original Music series while I’m away with a guest post from first time Benn loxo contributor, Gerben: “Some time ago i saw the movie Va, Vis Et Deviens which features the...
View ArticleBlues Tuesday
I’m continually impressed by the Rough Guide African music compilations. One of their latest, The Rough Guide to African Blues, is another example of their well researched and wide-ranging musical...
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