Muluken Mellesse - Muluken Mellesse with the Dahlak Band (Ethiopiques)

The vinyl LP at the heart of this éthiopiques 31 was one of the very last vinyl records ever released in Ethiopia. But above all it represents, we felt, the absolute masterpiece of the Ethiopian Groove – the Swan Song of Swinging Addis. The album leaves a clear idea for posterity of the level of sophistication and mastery that modern Ethiopian music had achieved, before being crushed under the Stalino-military heel of the Derg. Ethiopia1976. The Revolution that broke out in February 1974 rolled on in a ruthless march. The whole of Ethiopian society was utterly stunned. This ice age was to last for seventeen long years.