My friend Jarboe brought this tape back from LA for me and it’s seriously blowing my mind. I don’t even know what to say, ummm…. the tape encapsulates all that’s holy about good music and its bewitching ability to make you dance like a maniac.
Awesome Tapes from Africa DJ set for The Proconsul Editions’ pre-NY Art Book Fair shindig this Thursday, Nov 4, 9pm at Veronica Peoples Club in Greenpoint. Amy von Harrington (aka the best person ever) will also be playing records.
Side A
Ateremamesew (He Created Turmoil)
Yefeker Amelu (The Behaviour of Love)
Zomeye
Tew Lebe Tesebseb (Concentrate My Heart)
Godanaw (Highway)
Side B
Belew Belew (Advance, Advance)
Geletsenete (My Frankness)
Endekentay yelem (Time Brought You Down)
Zemedye (My Relative)
Musheraye (My Groom)
40 Comments
Join the discussion and tell us your opinion.
Oh man, this stuff sounds amazing. I’m my extremely limited-knowledge opinion, this sounds like N.African pop/Berber stuff and the writing looks a little like Tamashek. Either way, sounds fantastic, thanks!
awesome stuff! can’t stop listening to it!
Hey, I can’t tell you anything about the tape but I can see that the links don’t work for tracks 7-10!
Wow, this sounds realy great! Could post tracks 7 to 10 also. Thanks
sorry
but I can not download tracks 7. 8. 9. 10
you could upload?
thanks
YEAH BOI!
Love what I am hearing.
FYI, it seems the links for tracks 7-10 just link back to the post rather than to music files.
This is amazing! Thank you! (Track 7 – 10 aren’t opening as MP3s for me. Is it just me?)
Please, please check tracks 7 ff.
The links don’t work.
Thank you for all your treasures.
Tracks 7-10 link to … this page?
This sounds great! Hope someone can identify it. By the way, the links for tracks 7-10 are not working. Best wishes, Tim Abdellah
Hi Brian,
My friend Akalu has translated the tape for me. The artist’s name is Alem Kebede, and the track listing is as follows:
1. Ateremamesew (He Created Turmoil)
2. Yefeker Amelu (The Behaviour of Love)
3. Zomeye
4. Tew Lebe Tesebseb (Concentrate My Heart)
5. Godanaw (Highway)
6. Belew Belew (Advance, Advance)
7. Geletsenete (My Frankness)
8. Endekentay yelem (Time Brought You Down)
9. Zemedye (My Relative)
10. Musheraye (My Groom)
I hope this helps. Thanks for posting and as always, keep up the good work!
Ben
thanks everyone! but you’re all bad readers: i note in the post that those tracks will be posted as soon as i make some room on the server :)
Everyone! I think Brian is referring to the track list…;)
Bad readers? For the hell, i can’t see where you’ve noted it…?
But no worries, these tracks are very well appreciated :)
Just like anything you post!
Thanks!
Ben DeVries forgot to tell that it’s Ethiopian (very small chance that it’s Eritrean, probably not). It sounds like the 70’s stuff from before the Mengistu dictatorship.
Skadam.
Yes.
Yay, thanks Ben! Tell Akalu “thank you very much” from all of us. :D Can’t wait to get the rest of these songs; this is great.
ha! sorry, i’m an asshole…i could have sworn i left a note in there saying i’d post the rest of the tracks asap….thanks all for the comments and especially Ben for the LIGHTENING fast translation!
THANK YOU!!! Love it.
looks like links for tracks 7-10 are still broken. your site is great! thank you for sharing! but can you fix these links pretty please!
Actually awesome, love it! Have you heard your homage yet? http://www.myspace.com/truckersofhusk
you should check out their Awesome Tape tribute.
Alem Kebede is from Addis Ababa and was one of the talented Ethiopian artists of the 70 and 80′ She’s one emulator of “Ethio-jazz” group playing the “Mulatu Astatke” style. Nice! ;)
Fantastic! I like the rhythm too.
keep listing the nice copy you have.
Hi
I just checked with my Ethiopian friends: this artist (Alem Kebede) IS Ethiopian and not Eritrean.
She is fantastic! Thanks for all your amazing uploads. I traveled in Ethiopia togerther with “the woman from Copenhagen” who gifted you the Woubeshet Feseha tape :)
Jacob
Why did it take me so long to find this blog? Love it! Music is the essence here in life.
crikey! too awesome.
this is cool :)
hey ! very cool music blog ! :)
I thank you . I thank You I thnank you.
I really thank you for your work.I am from Ethiopia.
am very happy to hear such kind of music.i had already z music what u posted but this one i don’t have.
you bring me back to remember those days in addis.
This music sounds really awesome. thanks for sharing this music with us.
Hi! Does anyone know what the name of this album is? I think I may have missed it.
I downloaded the rest and it’s all SO GOOD. Thank you again, Akalu. <3
DOPE!
a) This is incredible! i LOVE it! THANK YOU!
b) any idea what year this is from, anyone? also is there an album name?
c) its remarkable how much Ariel Pink’s song “Reminiscences” (from Before Today) sounds like track 4, “Tew Lebe Tesebseb (Concentrate My Heart)”, on this tape!!! ridiculous!
check it, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EuuGZ6RqHA
Great Ethipian music, and wow what a singer! Loved tracks 6 & 10 especially – though there’s also a track 11 tucked away at the end of no.10, which was excellent too!!
Thank you for this one!
For the curious, here is a video of Kebede performing just a few months ago–in Washington, D.C.(!)
[…] here know Alem Kebede? I discovered her several years ago on this awesome blog about African music (https://awesometapes.com/alem-kebede/) I was instantly hooked, the beat is so funky and her voice is SO soulful and beautiful! I was […]