Hailu Mergia & The Walias - Tche Belew

I have a bad habit of thinking I've heard something and if I'm not into it then rule chunks of albums /artists out. It's a flaw I've been trying hard to avoid over the years. Now I love the Awesome Tapes from Africa label. I thought I'd heard the releases by Hailu Mergia and whilst cool, his covers are amazing, and politically taking risks at the time, the albums seemed a lot for one sitting. I mean they are taken from tapes so it's going to be mixed...

Yesterday I was watching an interview with Max Richter spinning records and he picked a track by Mergia to play. My ears pricked up cos it sounded great. That night I went back to listen and realised the first two records were with the Walias band. They sounded completely different to what I remembered hearing. Mind blown. They were so good! So good I went and bought one today.

This has a great funk / jazz sound mixed with Mergia on keys bringing a blend of jazz funk and 70s Ethiopia sounds. The sound quality is great. 11 years later I'm glad I eventually realised this and didn't remain an ignorant twit.

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