after 25 years of silence, the ethiopian legend girma bèyènè is back alongside one of the best ethio groups akalé wubé. comes in a double lp gatefold 180g vinyl! girma bèyènè is a true legend when it comes to ethiopian music. after an exile to the united states and a radio silence that lasted 25 years, he jubilantly accepted the invitation from the french group akalé wubé to return to the spotlight and perform once more. the comeback took place last september during a memorable concert alongside akalé wubé at the studio de l’ermitage (paris 20). french medias like tracks (arte), le monde, libération relayed this major event, which aroused many strong emotions amongst fans of ethiopian music. the adventure could not stop just yet.

this is the 2nd volume of the soul and groove selection, an original, unprecedented, soul/funk music. .
a few years ago the world discovered a unique sound coming from the distant ethiopian capital addis abeba. the emotional blow was only matched by the brightness of this original and magnificent discovery. the ethiopiques series directed by francis falcetto and edited by buda musique provides a comprehensive landscape of this subtle musical universe where local and western cultures do magnify each other. this new ethiopian urban modern music release follows the first soul & groove installment and keeps revealing some essential parts of the modern ethiopian puzzle. an unequalled soul funk signature until today.

urban ethiopian music stands out within the african continent thanks to its creativity and originality. whatever the shade - pop, blues, jazz or soul - it comes from a fusion of local musical traditions mixed with an echo of western music. it bewitched ethiopia during the swinging addis decade before recently winning the favours of a well-informed audience all over the world. this first vinyl volume of *ethiopian urban modern music* presents a selection of the more funkier ethiopian tracks, drawn from the essential ethiopiques cd series directed by francis falceto and published by buda music.

the third in struts inspiration information studio collaboration series brings together an intriguing pairing between one of africas great bandleaders, mulatu astatke, with the next level musicianship of the heliocentrics collective from the mighty roster of stones throw / now again. known primarily through the successful ethiopiques album series and the film soundtrack to jim jarmuschs ?broken flowers, mulatu astatke is one of ethiopias foremost musical ambassadors. his selfstyled ethio-jazz sound flourished during the swinging addisÑ era of the late 60s as he successfully fused western jazz and funk with traditional ethiopian folk melodies. the heliocentrics have become known as one of the uks foremost free-thinking collectives of musicians, inspired by a wide palette covering sun ra, james brown, david axelrod and all manner of psych, afro and eastern sounds. the collective have featured on records by madlib and dj shadow. now a fixture within the stones throw / now again roster, they forged their own genre-breaking directions in the astral analogue groove on their 2007 debut album, out there. a number of tour dates around the release and headline slots at festivals throughout 2009 have been confirmed.