The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia (2012 album)

The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia is a world music compilation album originally released in 2012. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the release contains two discs: an overview of the music of Ethiopia—focusing mainly on 21st century pop—is found on Disc One, while Disc Two features dub-style musician Invisible System.[1] The compilation was curated by Dominic Raymond-Barker and Phil Stanton, co-founder of the World Music Network, who was also the producer.[2] It is the second compilation by this name: the first volume, focusing on music of the 1960s, was released in 2004.[3]

The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia
Compilation album by
Various artists
Released25 September 2012
GenreWorld, Ethiopian
Length117:05
LabelWorld Music Network
Full series chronology
The Rough Guide to the Music of China
(2012)		 The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia
(2012)		 The Rough Guide to Salsa
(2012)
Complete list

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Robert Christgau[1]A-
AllMusic[4]
PopMatters[5]
The Independent[6]

The compilation's release was met with positive reviews, with Robert Christgau including it in his top albums of 2012.[7] Writing for AllMusic, Chris Nickson described it as an "indispensable primer" and "a real winner".[4] Both Christgau and Deanne Sole of PopMatters compared the album with Buda Musique's Éthiopiques series (which had reached 27 volumes by 2012), with Sole discussing its role in creating the sense of age now attributed by Western world music listeners to Ethiopian music (which she calls "uncanny"), and how most tracks on the Rough Guide album are in fact by the Ethiopian diaspora and foreigners.[8][1][5] Howard Male of The Independent said the album is one of the occasional Rough Guide compilations to "hit the bull's eye" and called Disc Two's Invisible System "arguably the most experimental Ethio-fusion project of them all."[6] This disc was the focus of BBC Music's review, where Robin Denselow called the tracks "boldly unusual" and "impressively original stuff".[9]

Track listing

Disc One
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Ametballe"Bole 2 Harlem4:57
2."Guragigna"Dub Colossus5:13
3."Ohoho Gedama"Mahmoud Ahmed4:46
4."Musicawi Silt"The Ex and Guests & Getatchew Mekurya4:22
5."Datchene Koba (Trio Of Emblitas)"Orchestra Ethiopia2:25
6."Ende Eyerusalem"Krar Collective7:22
7."Abet Abet [Punt Mix]"Samuel Yirga5:11
8."Sek'let (Crucifixion)"Zerfu Demissie3:22
9."Ambassel"Invisible System5:29
10."Ney-Ney Weleba"Alemayehu Eshete3:46
11."Gue"Tirudel Zenebe7:19
12."Mela Mela"Mohammed 'Jimmy' Mohammed4:49
13."Homesickness"Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou3:51

Disc Two

All tracks on Disc Two are by Invisible System, a former aid worker in Ethiopia who now creates dub-style tracks with UK-based Ethiopians.[10]

No.TitleLength
1."Closer To The Edge"3:36
2."Gondar Sub"4:04
3."Tizita"4:04
4."Dark Entries"6:12
5."Skunk Funk"4:33
6."Azmari Fuse"6:41
7."Maljam Kehnoelish (If This Is What You Want)"4:05
8."Oumabetty"3:15
9."Hode Baba (I'm Worried He's Moving)"5:58
10."Mama Yey"5:56
11."Fiten Azorkugn (I Turned My Face Away)"5:49

References
  1. Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide". Retrieved 9 Jan 2014.
  2. World Music Network. "About Us - The WMN Story". Retrieved 10 Jan 2014.
  3. Greenberg, Adam. "The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia [2004]". Allmusic. Retrieved 9 Jan 2014.
  4. Nickson, Chris. "The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia [2012]". Allmusic. Retrieved 9 Jan 2014.
  5. Sole, Deanne. "Various Artists: The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia (Second Edition)". PopMatters. Retrieved 9 Jan 2014.
  6. Male, Howard (9 Sep 2012). "Album: Various artists, The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia (World Music Network)". The Independent. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  7. Christgau, Robert (14 Jan 2013). "The Dean's List 2012". Barnesandnoblereview.com. Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  8. Buda Musique. "Accueil>Ethiopiques". Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  9. Denselow, Robin (2012). "Invisible System Introducing Invisible System Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  10. Denselow, Robin (21 Aug 2009). "Invisible System: Punt - Made in Ethiopia". The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
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