Mulatu Astatke & Menelik Wossenatchew, “Fikratchin” MP3
- story Sam Hockley-Smith
When they get home, most dudes probably change form their work suits into some sweats and a dingy t-shirt, but we could see Mulatu Astatke just immediately changing into another suit. It’s all about being cool 100% of the time, and his music—of which there is a lot to hear—is the perfect soundtrack for that lifestyle. “Fikratchin” has gone mostly unreleased in the US, but pops up on Strut’s awesome Mulatu Astatke primer New York-Addis-London: The Story of Ethio Jazz 1965-1975, it’s moody and minimal, not much more than a stoic bassline and burbling piano, but it still sounds completely vital today.
Download: Mulatu Astatke & Menelik Wossenatchew, “Fikratchin”
Ghetto Palms 63: Nas & Damian Marley / Weapon Riddim / Ethiopia Soul
- story Eddie "Stats" Houghton
In a perfect world every Ghetto Palms should connect at least three disparate dots on the map, and today’s multi-colored thumbtacks are puncturing the dread capitals of New York, Kingston and Addis Ababa.
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posted on Jul 24, 2009 in GHETTO PALMS tags Africa, Beenie Man, caribbean, Damian Marley, ethiopia, Mulatu Astatke, nas, Vybz Kartel
Q+A/Freeload: Mulatu Astatke + The Heliocentrics, “Masengo”
- story THE FADER
Legendary Ethiopian musician Mulatu Astatke’s collaboration with the Heliocentrics hits a lot of key points we’re into, blending fuzzy psych guitars with heavy drums and complex piano runs. It’s an album that successfully mixes old and new without coming across as a self-conscious throwback. Instead, it works as a meeting of minds with a genuine respect for the music that makes up their backgrounds. This isn’t exactly what you’d get on, say, an Ethiopiques compilation, but it draws from that lineage to create something between the worlds of Ethio-jazz and vintage psych rock. Down below download “Masengo,” the lead-track from their album Inspiration Information 3 (out now on Strut) and after the jump check out our Q+A with Astatke, covering everything from his soundtrack work on Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers to his ongoing update of traditional Ethiopian music.
Download: Mulatu Astatke + The Heliocentrics, “Masengo”
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posted on Apr 16, 2009 in MUSIC INTERVIEWS tags Ethio-jazz, freeload, Mulatu Astatke, psych/folk, Q+A, The Heliocentrics
