Introduction to Ethiopian songs and music

Videos

Popular music

Richard Taylor, Under African Skies ‘Ethiopia’ (BBC TV, 1989)
Film focussing on Ethiopian music in the 1980s:

Antoine Lindley: Journey of Ethiopian Music (Episode 1, published on YouTube in 2013): Featuring Alemayehu Eshete, Kuku Sebsebe, Girma Negash, Tilahun Gessesse, and more with English subtitles:

Roland van Reenen TV: History of Ethiopian Music (published on YouTube in 2012):

Maciej Bochniak, Ethiopiques: Revolt of the Soul (HBO, 2017)
A documentary about Ethiopian music with a focus on singers from the album series Éthiopiques (curated by Francis Falceto):

Mulatu Astatke on Ethiopian musical culture, Ethio-jazz, etc.
Video and transcript of an interview and lecture (Toronto, 2007):

» View German movie “Der äthiopische Swing begeistert Addis Abeba” (Arte TV, 2022-24)


Audio

Popular music

Mirkuzz (YouTube Channel)
Listen to old cassettes (> 150k subscribers)

EthioFolk Project
Folk music recorded and filmed in 1965
(Amhara, Tigrai, Oromo, Kaficho, Dawro, Somali, Harari, Isaa)

The Global Jukebox
Access to traditional songs from more than a dozen Ethiopian ethnic groups (you may enter as a ‘guest’; cantometrics available)

Religious music (other than gospel music)

Muslim

Al Faruq Tube (* 2016; > 115k subscribers)

Muaz Habib official (* 2020; > 140k subscribers)

Jewish

Liturgical chant of the Ethiopian Jews (album; playlist)

Discography

Funkfidelity
Ethiopian music discographies
(45 records and LPs from Amha, Kaifa, Philips, etc.)

Cassettes from Ethiopia
Part of African Cassettes, an online discography being developed at African Music Archives at Gutenberg University in Mainz.

Ethio-pain Music
Blog introducing popular music (esp. before the Ethiopian Revolution)


INVITATION

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