An Interview with MC Gringo

Another Maga Bo mini-documentary. An interview with MC Gringo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2008.

Modern Traditional Amharic Music

Some "modern traditional" Amharic music I got in Addis Ababa. On my first record buying excursion in Addis, I was really disappointed by what I heard at the record shops. Fortunately, most of the shops are very helpful, friendly and willing to play samples of CDs. I was disappointed with the production - the preset sounds, the looped beats with very little variation, the fake saxophones and electric pianos and cheesy sound effects. After spending some weeks riding in local minibuses, taxis and buses, I gained a new perspective on this "modern traditional" music - it sounds TOTALLY different coming out of a crackling and distorted speaker while cruising around Addis (or while chewing chat on bus headed for Harar for that matter). A cheap and easy subsitute for travelling all the way to Ethiopia to hear it in context maybe to plug your CD player into a distortion pedal, close your eyes and will yourself to Piassa........

I don't know the artist, title or album of either of these tracks - I can't read Amharic........so, I'm just including the covers and tracklists. Track 9 from the above CD and it's released on the Picolo Music label. Track 3 from the CD below (auto-tune set to pentatonic!) is released on the Master Sounds label.

If there is somebody out there who reads Amharic and would be willing to enlighten me as to the names of the tracks and artists, I'd be very grateful! Thanks!