One of the most wonderful collaborations we've heard in the Ethiopiques series so far -- a set that mixes instrumentation from a cool French combo with vocals from Ethiopian singer Etenesh Wassie. Le Tigre have a groove that's rooted in jazz, driven by some rockish energy, and focused into more Ethiopian-styled sounds here -- a genre-crossing style that's totally great, and which makes for music that's every bit as haunting as some of the Golden Age music featured on the more classic-styled volumes in the series. Etenesh Wassie's vocals really add a lot of authenticity to the set too -- not just in language, but in a time-worn, emotive style that's dripping with feeling -- just the right spirit to show that Le Tigre's style isn't just an accident or a simple borrowing of a few key elements.
ETENESH & Le Tigre (des platanes) from Felmay Shop