Mahmoud Ahmed - Be Leselese Qu'al

This fantastic rare track by Mahmoud Ahmed doesn't sound unlike much of the 'hypnagogic pop' of recent years - the reverberated guitar, the handclaps, the horns... of course, Ahmed came first and the influence of such Ethiopian musicians upon modern Western acts is undeniable: Ariel Pink, for example, covered Yeshimebet Dubale's 'I Remember A Man' on his 2010 track 'Reminiscences'. That being said, there's nothing more rich and authentic than the original, and what Western acts miss in particular are the beautifully distinctive vocals! Mahmoud Ahmed - and Roha Band, who appear on many Ahmed songs including this one - are icons both in Ethiopia and internationally. And understandably so.

Label: n/a
Year: 198?
Genre: Ethiopian Pop, Jazz