The formerly oppressed and newly revived musician releases his first full length album in partnership with Now Again and Vinyl Me, Please.
In the 1970s Ayalew Mesfin stood at the forefront of the burgeoning ethio-groove musical movement. Over the course of a decade – beginning in and extending far beyond the final years of what is often considered to be Ethiopia’s golden age of music – Mesfin released a wealth of 45s to acclaim before fading in to obscurity amidst the harsh political climate through which the country suffered from 1974 onward.
Mesfin was imprisoned for three months during the Derg regime and assigned to a parole officer for thirteen years upon his release due to the lyrical content of his music that challenged the political injustices of his native land.
Now, over 40 years later, Mesfin is set to make his return to music. In partnership with Now Again and Vinyl Me, Please Mesfin’s work will be presented in album form for the first time, comprising of music sourced from his many 7″ singles and a handful of unearthed reel-to-reel tapes. Sign up to Vinyl Me, Please’s subscription plan to get your hands on the LP, presented on maroon coloured vinyl alongside an art print, full colour photos and a 16 page book of liner notes.
Listen to the album in its entirety below.
Words by Sam Wilkinson.
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Fruit and Grooves Collective 