Essential Guide

The Very Best of Ethiopiques

Over the last 10 years, music aficionados across the world have become familiar with Francis Falceto’s remarkable work re-releasing vast quantities of modern Ethiopian music as ‘The Ethiopiques series’ on Buda Musique. But now this enthusiasm has spread to infect another top re-issuing label, as Union Square Music have taken it upon themselves to assemble an Ethiopian music collection with a different slant. An enormous undertaking, drawing from all 21 volumes of the original ‘Ethiopiques’ series, ‘The Very Best of Ethiopiques’ (2CD) represents a new take on Ethiopian Music as compiler and sequencer Iain Scott (assisted by Steve Bunyan and Francis Falceto) has made the first ever compilation of modern Ethiopian music specifically for the contemporary western ear.

CD1 breaks new ground by focusing on modern Ethiopian tracks able to shake dance floors as much as any world music connoisseur’s mp3 headphones. Aimed at all those who were dazzled by re-issue releases such as Russ Dewbury’s ‘Africa Funk’ 1998 (exposing Fela Kuti and Manu Dibango to a club audience for the first time), this does the same for ‘Ethiopian Groove’, offering a sparkling collection of songs bursting with Ethiopia’s unashamed and open enthusiasm for absorbing the influences of 1960-70s Afro-America. Throw into this mix a few more tunes made popular by the soundtrack for Jim Jarmush’s ‘Broken Flowers’ and you have the ultimate Ethiopian cross-over selection.

CD2 is a little different. A real delight for those slightly more accustomed to the exotic differences of World Music, as here the groove is hidden more deeply within, requiring time to grow but then emerging more with each listening. If CD1 is the Ethiopian ‘Master Cuts’, then CD2 is the Ethiopian ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ selection, defining a unique modern music scene at its discernible peak.

With ‘The Very Best of the Ethiopiques’ (2CD) perhaps the last great hidden treasure troves of modern African music has finally been made available to the mainstream public. A very special occasion indeed.

Enjoy!