The first compilation of single releases by oppressed and wholly original Ethio-groove musician Ayalew Mesfin, Hasabe represents the first issue of presumably the last great, unheard catalog of ‘70s Ethiopian music. The music Mesfin created with his Black Lion Band is amongst the funkiest to arise from Addis Ababa; his recording career, captured in nearly two dozen 7” singles and numerous reel-to-reel tapes, shows the strata of the most fertile decade in Ethiopia’s 20th century recording industry, when records were pressed constantly by both independent upstarts and corporate behemoths, even if they were only distributed within the confines of the unconquerable East African nation. To date, only four of Ayalew Mesfin’s songs have been reissued, as part of Francis Falcetto’s Ethiopiques series: this is the first anthology of his music, and the first time he has involved himself in the process.
What’s included in this VMP Exclusive:
First Official Compilation of Ayalew’s Music
Sourced From Artist’s Personal Collection
Remastered by Dan Johnson, Head of Archiving at United Recording Studios
180g Maroon Colored Vinyl
16pg Full Color Liner Notes & Photo Booklet
12" x 12" Original Art Print by Billy Clark
Learn more about "Hasabe (My Worries)"
Everything You Need To Know About Our 'Hasabe' Package
We break down the story of how we partnered with Now Again records to bring Ayalew Mesfin's music to our members here.
Read an excerpt from Hasabe's Liner Notes here, which cover the history of Ethiopian music, and Ayalew's battle against a dictatorship to have his music heard.
See Ayalew Mesfin Live!
As part of our first LP release of his music, Ayalew Mesfin is returning to the stage for some limited engagements. Learn more about the shows here.
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