Label: Parlophone – VDL. 106
Voix De L’Orient Series
Artist: Nour El Houda
Side A/B: Ala Oum El Manadilla
Grade: Vg+ (shop stock)
78 RPM.
Exquisite Egyptian Shellac with the main theme running across both sides of the disc.
Beautiful acapella vocal meets hypnotic groove in the Egyptian orchestral style.
Side A: Part 1
The Thakker Twin Brush helps to provide optimal playback experience by preventing the buildup of dust and dirt on your records. The centre part of the Thakker Twin Brush is made of ultra-fine pole high quality velvet. This velvet is flanked on both sides by a layer of very fine carbon fibers.
The carbon fibers remove the static charge from the record, so that the dust lays loose and can be easily picked up by the velvet in the middle of the brush even from deep inside the record grooves. The brush can be stored in its own holder after use.
The Thakker stylus brush provides optimal playback experience when used before every listening session, keeping your stylus tip free of debris. Can be used in wet condition in conjunction with record cleaning fluid or dry. Always brush from the back of the stylus (the end nearest the cantilever) towards the tip. Never side to side, never front to back. Use in conjunction with Thakker Twin Record Brush and our store-made Plug Seven Record Cleaning Solution for the best vinyl experience.
Label: Amin – Amin 002
Artist: Tilahun Gessesse
A/B Side: Tewat Mata Tekazie / Besak Befegegeta
Grade: EX (shop stock)
Nice tunes with Lo-fi wah wah guitar and mandolin giving the main flavour.
Side A: Tewat Mata Tekazie
Label: Philips - PH 265
Artist: Abebe Tessema (backed by the Rainbow Orchestra)
Side A/B: Yimama / Yam Loga
Grade: EX (shop stock)
Hypnotic cultural music which was no doubt played in the Ethiopian National Theatre at some time.
Both sides featuring a nice 3/4 feel over some deep organ & horn sounds, with backing vocal chorus.
Side A: Yimama
Side B: Yam Loga
Label: Philips - PH 237
Artist: Getatchew Kassa (with The Walias Band)
Side A/B: Yene Alem / Wededkuh Maletish Layker
Grade: Vg to Vg+ (some clicks on a side otherwise clean sound)
Beautiful sounding record, featuring the Walias Band in their prime.
Getatchew is in great voice, pleading out to the ladies ‘Yene Alem!’ ‘My World!’
Side A: Yene Alem
Side B: Wededkuh Maletish Layker
Label: Kaifa Records - LPKF 20
Artist: Mahmoud Ahmed (with Ibex Band)
Album: Ere Mela Mela
Grade: Vg- to Vg (some clicks)
Seldom dug up classic from much loved Ethiopian Tenor Mahmoud Ahmed.
Hypnotic sounds all round, and featuring the track ‘Mela Mela’, which has a deeper, more subdued mood than the Amha 45 cut.
Check the Seifu Yohannes 45 of ‘Mela Mela’, also listed.
Label: Duomo – DSL 0088
Artist: Mike Umoh
Album: Getting On, Getting Down
Grade: Side 1: VG- / Side 2: VG / Sleeve: G
Superb Afro Funk Disco..
Get way down to Shake your Body on this Nigerian Synth Excursion.
Check the sample for a cross section of tracks
Label: Kothari - K 1
Artist: Wendyifraw Weretta
Side A/B: Sean Aya / Fikri Hesum
Grade: NM (shop stock)
Wicked and deep 5/8 Eritrean double sider. Strictly for the connoisseurs.
Killer lick back reverb on the snare and claps. Also some low-end bass to be found in the b side ‘Fikri Hesum’, if you are able to dial it up!
Side A: Sean Aya
Side B: Fekri Husum
Label: AMHA - AE 270
Artist: Seifu Yohannes
A/B Side: Mela Mela / Tezeta
Grade: Vg- to Vg
Killer 6/8 banger on the A side
B side Tezeta (a nostalgic memory) is purest Ethiopian, nowhere else on the continent can pull this kind of sound!
Check the Mahmoud Ahmed version of ‘Mela Mela’, also listed.
A Side: Mela Mela
Label: AMHA - AE 570
Artist: Hirut Bekele
Side A/B: Almokerkum Nebere / Esu Naw Meselegne
Grade: Vg- to Vg (Green & red marbled vinyl) slight surface hiss due to coloured vinyl.
Funking a side from one of the best female singers, from ‘the golden era’ of Ethiopian music.
Check the mid song jam, funky highland guitar meets slamming drums.
Side A: Almokerkum Nebere
Label: Philips - Ph 108
Artist: Menelik Wossenatchew / Telela Kebede
A/B Side: Aderetch Arada / Kelemewa
Grade: EX (shop stock)
2 sides cut by Haile Selassie's Imperial Bodyguard Band.
Menelik Wossenatchew's operatic vocal prowess is clear on Adarech Arada. It's about a hip little area in Addis where active young ladies would gather and what they got up to when their mothers weren't watching..gulp!
The b side is a great theatrical piece with backing chorus.
A Side: Aderetch Arada
Label: Philips - Ph 214
Artist:Belaynesh Wubante & Assegedetch Kassa (with Mulatu Astatke)
Side A/B: Alemiye / Gubiliye
Grade: G+ to Vg
Track titles: Alemiye / Gubiliye
Deep double sider from a couple of young ladies who used to sing together in an Addis Ababa bar. Mulatu heard them and said 'why don't we try something...'
One of 2 x 45s that they cut on consecutive Philips releases.
Some psyche sounds in there plus extended solos in the mid section of each track. Deeep!
Side A: Alemiye
Label: Philips - PH 101
Artist: Tilahun Gessesse / Mulatu Astatke
Side A/B: Tiz Alegn Yetintu / Emnete
Grade: G+ to Vg
Needs little intro...
The great Tilahun Gessesse, Ethiopia’s most celebrated singer of all time, laying it down over a 6/4 groove.
B side is Mulatu doings his thing! Emnete means ‘My thoughts.’
Label is rough but the record better.
A play out copy, clicks near the beginnings but still drops!
Side A: Tiz Alegn Yetintu
Side B: Emnete
