10th November
Bloomsbury Ballroom, Victoria House, 37-63 Bloomsbury Square, London WC1B 4DA
This will be Dub Colossus only UK show this year, supported by the excellent
Krar Collective.
“A Town Called Addis†, the critically acclaimed first album, was inspired by meeting , writing and working with singers and musicians in Addis Ababa in August 2006. A collaboration between Dubulah (Nick Page) and an amazing array of musicians covering Azmari and traditional styles as well as the popular singing styles of the 60s and 70s…. It seeks to combine the golden years of ethiopique beats and ethiojazz with the dub reggae styles of early 70s reggae groups like the Abyssinians, Mighty Diamonds and so on. along with a hint of Sun Ra…â€
The band toured throughout 2009, and into early 2010, playing at festivals across europe and beyond, finishing in New Zealand. From Glastonbury, to WOMAD, audiences have delighted in the big sounds created by this big band.
This show will be the full 12 piece Dub Colossus live band, a tight, vibrant and exciting band. A spectacle to behold, the band includes a four piece brass section, percussion, keyboards, krar, bass, drums, guitar, and of course the stunning vocals of Tsedenia Gebremarkos and Sintayehu ‘Mimi’ Zenebe, mixing up traditional ethiopian sounds with modern dub twist. Riding high after a summer spent recording and mxing a new album, the band are back, and on better form than ever!
A limited edition EP of new material will be available at this show, ahead of the new album release next year. Most of these tracks will be exclusive to this EP, and will leave you hungry for more.
The new album, entitled “Addis Through the Looking Glass” represents a maturing of the project, and the focus very much back on Addis and it’s vibrant and varied music scene. The album is due for release in March 2011 on Real World Records.
Krar Collective make a gorgeous, multi-layered sound, one that picks you up and rushes you straight to the dusty streets of Addis Ababa. Drawing on the rhythms and traditions of their homeland’s many different ethnic groups, the trio’s backbeat comes from Robel Tesfaye’s gently rumbling kebero drum while the groove is courtesy of the electrified krar harp, played expertly by Temesegan Tareken, a former star pupil of Ethiopiques heavyweight Mulatu Astatke. And then the hazy vocals of songstress Genet Asefad drift in like tobacco smoke, coiling their way around these melodies – and the audience – until resistance is utterly futile. You have been warned.
Tickets £16, available here