Dub Colossus (Ethiopia/UK)
Defying a bias running through modern Ethiopian music towards hip hop and pop singers, UK musician/producer Nick Page took a different tack to capture a true East African flavour with his Dub Colossus project. Having previously assembled Temple of Sound and worked with such diverse artists as Los De Abajo, TransGlobal Underground and Natacha Atlas, Page went to Addis Ababa with a laptop computer in 2006 hoping to uncover the roots of a noble line of African music that stretches back 1500 years. He found much more than he bargained for, exploring Azmari, traditional Ethiopian styles and 1970s grooves. It inspired him to commence a series of new recordings with Addis Ababa singers Sintayehu “Mimi” Zenebe – dubbed the Edith Piaf of Ethiopian song – and Tsedenia Gebremarkos (winner of a 2004 Kora award as best female singer in East Africa), Teremag Weretow on messenqo (Ethiopia’s traditional one-string fiddle), Ethiojazz star Feleke Hailu on saxophone and dazzling young jazz prodigy Samuel Yerga on piano. Now, the recording collaboration comes to life on stage with the same vibrancy and excitement first captured on the album A Town Called Addis, with percolating grooves ranging from a subtle reggae edge to lively salsa.
Website: www.myspace.com/dubcolossusmusic