Search:eye of the high

Andreas Tilliander returns to Kontra-Musik in a grand style with his second TM404 album. Titled 'Acidub', this highly anticipated release is much more of an evolution than a repetition of the first superbly self-restricted album, where Tilliander even decided to use only one of the two Roland TB-303 waveforms. Acidub is a more playful and open listening experience, no doubt inspired by his extensive live touring with the TM404 concept. In fact, you can almost hear Tilliander's flock of acid machines breaking free from the restrained modus operandi. Every sound is like a migratory bird with a heart yearning for high altitude and favourable winds. The opening track Alinge paints a lucid picture of these acid birds leaving a cold industrial landscape behind, the flickering black shadows from their wings against the white smoke rising from a forest of chimneys below. The very last seconds of Alinge even echo of the place the silver birds are longing for, but that will remain a secret between Kontra-Musik and the avid listener. Sufficient to say, we can follow these birds of passage as they're heading south towards a warmer climate, fleeing the cold discipline of the North. Mutron Mantra, for instance, brings us to a rainforest full of serpentine lianas, giant leaves dripping with moist and green pools of water bubbling with organic life. Don't Defend Mascot guides us through a steaming savannah at dusk with hundreds of yellow eyes following our every step while Pade vividly describes the perils of the flight and the pace and courage needed to press on. In all, Acidub is a surprisingly exuberant follow-up to the more introspective TM404 album. But while the musical journey of this second album is quite different, the experience of sheer aural eminence remains the same. Andreas Tilliander has done it again, and Kontra-Musik couldn't be prouder.

MELODIES” is the first album released on the MOON label. The album was the first album released on the MOON label, and it marked a drastic change
in sound direction from the RCA/AIR era, as a result, the range of their work expanded, and the Christmas classic “Christmas Eve” was born from their work.
The result is a monumental masterpiece that will remain in the history of pop music. Includes “Christmas Eve” “High Air Pressure Girl,” “Merry Go Round”
and more. Includes detailed liner notes by Tatsuro Yamashita himself!

It’s with great pride that we announce this amazing album on Optimo Music from Portland-based duo Natural Magic. It was the final vinyl release that Keith McIvor aka JD Twitch put into production before his untimely departure in late September this year.

Having been a long time lover of everything krautrock, space rock, experimental and psychedelic it seems more than fitting that he leaves us this LP as his parting gift; because this sublime album is all these things wrapped up into one and much more.

The album’s opening track “Galaxy Builder”, with its driving tempo, monolithic bass and screaming guitars might give the impression we’re about to hear a Neu for the 21st Century, but no, by the 2nd track we’re already on the first of several wild detours into uncharted territories: part shoe gaze, part ethereal, part psychedelia it’s a unique piece of beautiful euphoria from start to finish. By the time we reach the end of the A-side’s closing track “Distant Bells” the whole place is in tears after hearing possibly one of the most poignant pieces of electronic music of the entire year.

The B-side takes us even deeper into this trip through the duo’s homeland in the Pacific Northwest opening with “Skyward Eye”. If the Orb had ever teamed up with Slowdive and gotten Andrew Weatherall on production this could be it. “Get It Right” is a fuzz-filled epic with heavy dub leanings and meanings...it soars high up into the beyond and prepares us for “Ride”; an unashamed space voyage in the true sense…cosmic guitars, laden with FX; before returning gently down to the rolling green hills of Earth with the closing track “Chugsby’s Theme”. Whoever Chugsby is, his vibe is organic, deeply grounded and beautiful.

In the duo’s own words:

“Natural Magic II is a west coast road trip soundtrack for the fading summer. Taking inspiration from the majesty and myths of their home in the Pacific Northwest, the seven track album is culled from the late night, dimly lit, live sessions of Mike McKinnon on keys/drums and Matthew Quiet on bass. Overdubs of guitar, synths and percussion followed. All this from the same space they throw their legendary Limited Edition parties - all-night free experimentation celebrations in their own right. The album art work is handmade flower pigments, opium poppy pollen ink and wood-scrap charcoal by their friend and collaborator Pith Cocomici. Roll the widows down, tilt the seat back and turn it up. Gas, grass or black mass... there's magic in the hills.

After collaborating with Answer Code Request on Delsin early 2024, Amotik now strengthens the relationship with a first solo EP for the Amsterdam based label. Delsin is known for working the sweet spot in between emotive electronica and dancefloor functionality, and it feels like the perfect place for Amotik's new EP 'Raat'. The Berlin based producer has been pushing his highly effective techno tools via his own imprints for over a decade and doesn't make an appearance on external labels often. So for this special occasion he adds new layers of deepness and emotion to his palette. An effortless combo of punchy techno grooves and soothing pads together form a well rounded pack of dancefloor euphoria. The remarkable bleeps and playful rhythms of Amotik's highly effective techno are deftly transformed into four pieces of excellent eyes-closed techno felicity.

Another DINTE tape curated by cult WFMU show and blogger Bodega Pop; Gary Sullivan's long-running project rooted in a passion for digging for music in bodegas and cell-phone stores across NYC's boroughs. This edition focuses in on late 1990s and early 00s hip-hop & rnb from across Southeastern Asia.

"While on a work trip to Chicago in the mid-2000s, I was craving a bowl of pho. A bit of sleuthing led me to hop on the red line "L" up to Argyle Street, ground zero of Chicago's Little Saigon. In the 1960s, Chicago restaurateur Jimmy Wong invested in property on Argyle Street with a vision to build the city's new Chinatown, a kind of mall with pagodas, trees, and reflecting pools. In 1971, the Hip Sing Association, a labor/criminal organization, established itself in the area, and along with Wong, they bought up 80% of the buildings on a three-block stretch of the street. Wong reportedly broke both hips in an accident, leaving his dream to wither; in 1979, Charlie Soo of the Asian American Small Business Association brought it back to life.

Soo expanded the area into a vibrant mix of Chinese, Vietnamese, and other Southeast Asian businesses, pushing for renovations, including an Argyle station facelift and the Taste of Argyle festival. At the time I exited the station and crossed the street to get a better look at a shop with a poster for A Vertical Ray of the Sun in the window, the area was home to some 37,000 Vietnamese residents.

Opening the door, I was gobsmacked by a cavernous Southeast Asian media store, bigger than any I'd been to in Dallas, Montreal, New York, or Seattle. I spent some time at the bins, pulling out collections by some of my then-favorite singers — Giao Linh, Khánh Ly, Phương Dung — before approaching the register to ask the young woman behind the counter if the they carried any Vietnamese rap. It was a longshot, I knew, but if such a thing existed on physical media and anyone carried it, it would be this place.

'Have you heard Vietnamese rap?' she replied, her tone of voice and facial expression betraying a comically exaggerated level of distaste. I admitted my ignorance but assured her that I had long cultivated a high threshold for cheesy pop music of all kinds and genuinely tended to like hip hop from around the world.

She rolled her eyes and pointed to an area I had missed. I walked toward a far corner of the store and knelt over a small box on the floor sparsely populated with CDs, VCDs, and cassettes. I pulled out half a dozen Vietnamese hip hop compilations and a strange-looking CD with a cavalcade of odd typefaces in a queasy multitude of colors: THAILAND RAP HIT, it boasted, with 泰國 "燒香" 勁歌金曲 below it. The information on the back provided an address in Kuala Lumpur and the titles in Thai and English translation. The first track included three simplified Chinese characters after the English-language version of the title, "The Chinese Association": 自己人.

WTF was going on here? Walking back to the register, I waved the CD, asking "What's up with this one?" She gave me a look. I placed it on the counter so she could bask in the cover's full glory. She shrugged. "I'm guessing it's Thai rap?" She looked disappointed in me when I said I'd take it.

It turned out to be a Malaysian pressing of half-Chinese Thai hip hop artist Joey Boy's third album, Fun Fun Fun from 1996, and it completely changed my sense what the genre could sound like. The rapper's self-assured, effortless, silly-but-cool rapid-fire delivery weaved in and out of the most bizarre, antic beats I'd ever heard. The six Vietnamese hip hop CDs were a mixed bag, mostly "serious" sounding mimicry of US rapping over predictable production, but the highs were very high. When I got home and listened to it all, I made a point to find as much hip hop from this part of the world as I could.

The tracks collected here provide a limited but potent reflection of the two-decade ascendency
and ultimate world-takeover of hip hop, as it displaced rock and its endless variants for millions of listeners. This not a fair and balanced overview of regional production: I've only included tracks from Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Nor is this a biggest or most important artists collection; instead, I've tried to recapture the pure visceral thrill of that first time I heard Joey Boy, choosing bangers that sound like nothing else, from nowhere else."

—Gary Sullivan

First Contact features CROÍ, Lukey, KAIR, Sahm, and HVSN. Our first release is a compilation of tracks that we’ve been collecting and to seize all the styles and genres which we will deal with in the future.

‘First Contact’ is the first song of the VA, opening with an invitation with a combination of a nostalgic ambience followed by the drums that go along with the vocals pointing to the start for our journey. In Irish, the word "CROÍ" (pronounced KREE) means "heart". ‘Target Lock’ from Lukey, is a track that will definitely surprise you. This song is meant to push you back to the dance floor with a feeling which you don’t get very often from listening to these kinds of songs. Everything is cool with ‘Target Lock’, drums, nice trippy vibes, and how the bass fits there… You should be blown away by this song. In a real old school style! Lukey has previously caught the eye of industry labels like Hot Creations, also his release on Carpet & Snares Records, Into The Wizard's Sleeve, The Void Project was hammered by some of the great DJ’s in the world.

KAIR introduces himself to us in his own way with ‘Let's Get it!’ Because this bomb won’t fail to make you dance and feel good! It’s pure house and joyful music that makes you dance and get lost within the music. Also, ‘Let's Get it!’ is just a preview of the upcoming EP. ‘Rainbown’ is a track which shows us that Sahm knows how to come out with a brilliant house track. A groovy old school house with heavy percussion, comes from a young talented producer from Brazil! This will be the track that you’ll be playing years from now on. And ‘Bust This’, you will hear among the bass, the claps and drums, a high energy that will make you move your body. HVSN presents his vision of how to bring the right emotions of a dance floor full of energy and the connection between the bass, synth, drums and melody is back!

Enjoy, This Is Real Talks Records.

VA – First Contact RTR001 incl CROÍ, Lukey, KAIR, Sahm, HVSN

2025 Repress

In 2013 Voyage Direct released Tom Trago’s ‘Hidden Heart of Gold’, an expansive trip into intergalactic deep house territory that ranks as one of his most emotionally charged moments to date.

Hidden Heart Of Gold is undeniably special. A typically spacey and quietly soulful dancefloor epic that stretches out majestically over 13 spellbinding minutes. It was a highlight in many of Trago’s club sets for the best part of 12 months prior to release..

Virtual waves of ambient chords shimmer between the speakers, rising and falling as if drifting through time and space. Meanwhile, eyes-closed melodies reminiscent of classic stargazing techno and disembodied vocal samples ride a tough but unfussy machine drum rhythm and addictive bassline. There are well-timed breakdowns and a gradual, enveloping build towards a heart-breaking climax. Many listeners may feel contrasting emotions; a sense of undiluted joy while dancing, perhaps, but also the odd pang of melancholy when listening on headphones. It's that kind of record.

The tracks intergalactic, emotion-rich inspirations are explored further on the flipside Ambient Mix, a winding, beatless excursion brimming with hazy, late night beauty. Gentle and immersive, it offers a grandiose, never-ending world in which to shed your inhibitions. Shorn of the originals dancefloor paraphernalia, Tom's emotive, wide-eyed vision comes to the fore ¿ all sensual chords, far-sighted pads and gentle, outer-space melodies. Like the A-side club version, it may just take your breath away.

Endless – Universal Cosmic Sounds

Endless is a journey through cosmic soundscapes, where jazz-funk, early electronics, and ambient experimentation meet.
Carefully curated by Charles Maurice from his personal collection, this compilation brings together 10 rare recordings from 1969 to 1985, revealing an era of fearless creativity and sonic exploration.

Marking 10 years since Charles Maurice’s first compilation in 2015, Endless also celebrates a milestone — his 13th release in a decade of unearthing rare and beautiful music from forgotten archives.

From Beaver & Krause and their pioneering Moog experiments to the lush electronic symphonies of Jean-Claude Petit, the dreamy synth work of Ector Davis, and the cinematic beauty of Bernard Larquet, each track opens a window into a different musical galaxy.
Highlights include Patrick Marcel’s privately pressed 1985 recording “Bagnols”, an atmospheric fusion of ambient textures and ECM-inspired jazz, and Wlodek Gulgowski’s Scandinavian jazz-funk masterpiece that bridges groove and cosmic elegance.

Unearthed from obscurity, Endless – Universal Cosmic Sounds celebrates a timeless vision of music without boundaries — a rediscovery of the rare, the beautiful, and the endlessly imaginative.

Test Pilot is the second solo album by Michael Zodorozny, post-punk icon and founding member of Crash Course in Science. On Test Pilot, he continues to explore his personal and poetic interpretation of the post-punk, new wave and no wave sound. Homemade and self-invented instruments complete his specific, extraordinary style that leans towards EBM and thrusting electro. After contributing to the latest Celldod album, the Swedish master of dark synths returns the favour here on the track Higher. Test Pilot was produced by Matia Simovich aka INHALT, and Michael Zodorozny himself painted and designed the cover art.

High Focus Records is proud to unveil the artwork for the forthcoming Verb T & Illinformed collaborative album: ‘The Land Of The Foggy Skies’, designed by Siou Escalon.

As you would expect from two of the hardest working artists in the UK rap game, Verb T & Illinformed have delivered a fitting sequel to the iconic 2015 release ‘The Man With The Foggy Eyes’. The pair have both raised the bar, taking their already incredible chemistry to new levels, as demonstrated with singles ‘Rotten Luck‘ & ‘New Paths‘.

An all encompassing cinematic opus, ‘The Land Of The Foggy Skies’ once again proves why Verb T is one of the most decorated MC’s in UK Hip Hop and why Illinformed is in a class of his own when it comes to production.

Disco 5 is the latest instalment of Pet Shop Boys’ continuing ‘Disco’ album series, which started in 1986. The 12-track collection features ten Pet Shop Boys’ recent remixes of songs by artists including Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, Primal Scream, Paul Weller, Tina Turner, Claptone, Wolfgang Tillmans and more, as well as a remix of their own track ‘Dreamland’ featuring Olly Alexander.

„Cloudy Eyes (Dance Tonight)“ marks Reznik’s and Jesse Boykins III’s second collaboration. Remember Rez’ remix for Tiga & Hudson Mohawke’s „Silence Of Love“ from last year? Working with Jesse’s vocals struck quite a few chords, so the next obvious move was to produce an original track together. And that one just hits all the sweet spots. Those piano chords. Those string pads and synth arpeggios. This driving rhythmic footing. Quite the ideal sonic environment for Jesse’s soulful croon to thrive on. „Cloudy Eyes (DanceTonight)“ has become a set-highlight of all the Keinemusik members throughout the summer season and the triggered feedback and ID requests have been no less than overwhelming. Safe to say, this is one of the most anticipated tunes of the year and its unmistakable imperative to dance tonight is about to wreak a lot more of the sweetest emotional havoc on dancefloors worldwide.

Building on the foundations of his Braindance Records label (2017–2020), Korean musician Go Dam now presents the second release on Stellar Systems. The Digifuga Series: Stellar EP finds him in interplanetary hyperdrive, charting trails blazed by pioneers from Hashim to Mad Mike to Gerard Hanson.

The four tracks were written in the studio Go Dam built with his own hands in Eulji-ro — once Seoul’s printing district, now a hive of small businesses. That same meticulous, artisanal approach runs through all of his work, whether composing film scores, producing K-Pop for online personalities, or fine-tuning sound systems around the city. The EP opens with the irrepressible electro funk of 'Fevernova', its slapping beat driving growling bass and wide-eyed synths. 'Dream Powder' is a stormy banger, surfing waves of filtered acid and noise before breaking into light. 'Chrono Flux' sustains the high energy, like the soundtrack to an anime motorbike chase at sunset, while 'Quasiverve' drifts into deepest night, its sinuous leads creeping over a stalking bassline.

Blending heavyweight vintage hardware with sharp digital tools, Go Dam conjures an epic widescreen sound that nods both to the sci-fi optimism of early electro and techno and to today’s fractured, machine-mediated music economy.

Reissue of seminal 1992 Bodysnatch cut ‘Euphony (Kuff Mix)’, later released as ‘Just 4 U London’. Accompanied by two more Bodysnatch back catalogue highlights from 1992 – ‘Eyes On The Horizon’ and ‘The Strength (Mental Rapids)’. All three tracks have been remastered with love and care by Johanz Westerman from the original recordings and selected for reissue by Parts Unknown and Craigie Knowes.

One of contemporary ambient’s preeminent figures lands on its leading label, enacting a transition into a new phase of rhythmic noise and tonal shadowplay laced with peculiar sensitivities, wrangling Dilloway-influenced tape noise thru ASMR ambience, fritzed dub techno, layered vocal drone and ritualistic mantras.

Perila steps up solo with a heavily satisfying debut for West Mineral, investigating negative space and states of subconsciousness. The shift in tone feeds forward into arcane realms of resonant dark ambient and dream-pop, harnessed in amorphous structures using dub-as-method. It’s wholly immersive stuff in a way that’s long been Perlia’s calling card, but here more careful in its command of personalised, atmospheric physics from the Coil-esque ‘cheerleader’, thru the deeply smudged and sexy trip hop of ‘lava’, and the oozing, sloshing OOBE-like spectres of ‘give it all’.

The title of the album is a reference to Carl Jung’s phrase "all haste is of the devil” which informs Perila’s writing process here; she slows down in an attempt to feel more and tap into her shadow self. Album opener 'cheerbleeder' is a doomed, tremolo-heavy mass of ghost notes, while the rattling chains and strangulated voices on ‘metal snax' sounds like they belong on a Wolf Eyes tape. 'grain levy tep dusk' strikes closer to recently unearthed industrial plates from Tolerance and Mentocome, with rusted clangs threaded into deflated, half-speed pulses. The album keeps growing from there, shifting and expanding as Perila exhales and absorbs her cognitive blind spots. She credits "trance states" for helping her let go, and we broadly get to experience that on the mantra-like 'thunder me' and the blurry all-vocal highlight 'hold my leg', which sounds like it could have been snatched from Grouper's 'Way Their Crept' sessions.

As with all of Alexandra Zakharenko’s work under various aliases - Aseptic Stir, Baby Bong, Wedontneedwords, Perila - her allure is self-evident to lovers of textured, diffuse electronics, and never more so than on this lip-bitingly potent suite of delicacies and primordial urges, perfectly balancing ancient and techngnostic aspects with an x-amount of seductive strangeness left in the margins.

The darker side of Arbilla well known since the Moving Forward EP released. “Wave Function” is absolutely mind-melting here, classy Detroit Techno elements inviting with FM bass line, intensive stabs build and complete the track.

“Shadow Of Dance” is the track for those closed eye moments - a perfect opening track...

The Japanese DJ/producer, label owner who released music on Yore, Motech and Compufunk Records now signed to an another great label.

What more is there to say? It’s a soulful techno thing…

Biz (Peter Elmaloglou) is back to Xistence Records with a track “Everything Changed”.

It’s with full of energy, heavenly melodies, frenetic acid and heavy stabs that builds up and down the track. SuperB!

“Lost In Space” as the title says is a spacey techno track of the highest order, Aubrey brings his signature sound with a massive distorted kicks and destroying bass that perfectly fits the dark atmosphere.

This is definitely a must have for every deep techno fans out there.

A record born of insurmountable joy and simultaneous profound loss; World Maker marks a time of great change for Psychonaut, both personally and musically, as the band burn away the philosophical narrative complexities of previous offerings with a searing, panoramic clarity that implores us to savour the beauty of the now as a means of leaving a legacy for the future. The traditional, three-piece line up of Belgian, psychedelic post-metal collective Psychonaut has long belied the compositional prowess, captivating narrative depth and crushing live presence of a band now operating at the forefront of forward-thinking, contemporary heavy music. Having sent a shockwave through the post-metal and prog scenes with their three times repressed Pelagic Records debut Unfold The God Man in 2020 before following it up with the transformative metaphysical complexities of 2022's Violate Consensus Reality, Psychonaut have played prestigious Belgian open-air festivals like Alcatraz, Rock Herk and Boomtown Festival as well as boutique events such as Soulcrusher, Roadburn Redux and A Colossal Weekend whilst sharing stages across Europe with the likes of Amenra, Brutus and Pelagic labelmates The Ocean and PG.Lost. The seed of World Maker took shape just as the campaign for Violate Consensus Reality came to a close, with the news that guitarist/vocalist Stefan De Graef was to become a father. This tilting of life's axis led De Graef, like most fathers-to-be, to re-assess what was really important. As such, the music he was inspired to write felt free of the band's previous philosophical and spiritual foundations and instead took the form of life lessons for his unborn son, a legacy of love in case something were ever to happen. This hopeful euphoria shines keenly throughout World Maker as an uncharacteristically optimistic warmth; from the reverberating Rhodes organ on the titular opening track and the meandering, free-jazz inspired guitar solo that introduces `Everything Else is Just The Weather' to elements of world music, electronica and the otherworldly voice of Dutch multi-instrumentalist and old friend Anthe Huybrechts (Anthe/Helion Creek) most notably on tracks like `Origins' which also features tabla, a pair of indian hand drums, as its propulsive heartbeat. Whilst Psychonaut's giant riffs, punishing polyrhythms and guttural vocal rage are more resplendent than ever, there is a wider dynamic spectrum to World Maker that sees the band proudly exploring their more delicate, intimate extremes as well as their most aggressive and abrasive. Not long after the birth of De Graef's son came the devastating news that both his own father and Psychonaut bassist/vocalist Thomas Michiels' father had been diagnosed with advanced cancers. Living day-to-day and torn between joy and grief, the band found themselves shedding the grand scope and world-shattering agenda of Violate Consensus Reality to focus on the here and now. Lead single `Endless Currents', the first full track on the album, explodes in a barrage of staccato guitar tapping but mellows to let the powerful, newly pared back lyrics ring out as a call to embrace the flow and follow joy. The song's final few words `Lead the way. / Soar. / Everlong.' double as both a greeting and a goodbye as the trio build their formidable post-metal might to a thunderous breaking point. Similarly, the pulsing, propellant `Stargazer', named so for De Graef's son being born in stargazer position, pairs delicate guitar motifs and folk-inflected optimism with huge and sprawling breakdowns as some of the band's most genre-pushing work to date; asking difficult but important questions of what happens next. It is `And You Came With Searing Light' though that most immediately exemplifies Psychonaut's redirected ambition on World Maker, as euphoria collides with blinding fury. The first track written for the album, `_Searing Light' is easily the most complex and initially wouldn't sound out of place on Violate Consensus Reality. Originally meant to be the new album's opening track; the decision to defer its impact, not to mention its compositional and dynamic gravity, speaks of a fundamental change to the band's very core. The words "Discover the world with wide eyes" recurring throughout speak as much to those having lost a part of their world as they do to those seeing it for the first time. Amidst such turbulent times, the band found strength and support within their Post-Metal community. The album was recorded and produced by the band alongside their longtime collaborator and close friend Chiaran Verheyden (Hippotraktor) with help and advice from Psychonaut's live engineer Victor, who will no doubt make this album sound just as awesome on stage. Even the artwork for World Maker was a family affair, being designed by close friend Sam Coussens of Belgian cosmic sludge metallers Pothamus. In the face of life's soaring highs and desolate lows, World Maker is direct and brave without sacrificing any of Psychonaut's raw power, creative innovation or inimitable musical depth. Where their previous full-length offerings have charted grand introspective courses through time and space, World Maker is breathtaking in its uncompromising clarity: a father singing to his newborn son as a son bids his own father farewell. FOR FANS OF Mastodon, Russian Circles, Tool, Gojira, The Ocean, Pelican, Hypno5e, Cult Of Luna, Amenra

The begena is a large ten-stringed lyre which is part of the traditional Amharic heritage of Ethiopia. The Amharas, who have long formed the politically and culturally dominant people of Ethiopia, mainly inhabit the central and northern part of the country. In the majority, they follow the monophysite Orthodox Tewahido Church established in the early fourth century AD.

Music plays a very important part in the life of the church. Most of the liturgy is sung and, contrary to secular music, it is accompanied by percussion instruments only. The begena occupies a special place because it is the one melodic instrument exclusively dedicated to the spiritual repertory. Because of its mythical origin, it is highly respected. Tradition holds that the begena was given to king David by God, and brought to Ethiopia by Menelik I, together with the Ark of the Covenant. It has always been the instrument of kings and nobles. Played by pious men and women of letters, it never became widespread. But it never disappeared either, not even under the Derg regime (1974-1991) which had banned the instrument.

Among Amhara string instruments, the begena is the most carefully crafted, especially with regard to the ornately sculpted crossbar. Its ten gut strings are cleaned and twisted several times. The characteristic buzzing timbre equalled by no other Amhara instrument is due to the enzirotch, that is, small bits of leather placed between each string and the bridge. This plays an important part in the sound production by creating a brief contact between the string and the upper rim of the bridge, thus modifying the vibrating properties of the string. In this manner, the spectrum of the sound is considerably enhanced (up to over 10 kHz).

The begena is a very powerful instrument, it keeps the devil thirty steps away, and its presence in the home wards off malicious spirits. Priests and preachers recommend its presence, especially during Lent (Fassika Tsom) when the Orthodox Amharas ponder their sins and repent. Because of its spiritual import, the begena generates intense emotion. According to some musicians, playing the begena brings them into direct contact with God or the Virgin Mary. The religious role of the begena is underscored by the shape of the instrument, each part symbolises an important element of the faith. The crossbar for instance, which reaches across the entire width of the instrument, represents God who is above all things. The belly which "gives birth" to the sound represents the Virgin Mary, and the ten strings recall the Ten Commandments.

Recorded by Stéphanie Weisser in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 2002-December 2005.

Mastered by Renaud Millet-Lacombe.

Issued under license from VDE-Gallo, Switzerland.

Indian Summer of Love finds The Bongolian immersed in a new set of sounds and influences for a new Belle Epoch. It’s a musical landscape informed by the Sixties psychedelia of India via a Haight Ashbury happening.

It’s a kaleidoscopic vision that takes us from a 20th century Fin de Siècle and lands us in the here and now of the 21st Century. It’s for dancers, for seekers and is all underscored by The Bongolian’s trademark heavy rhythms and breaks. It’s another fine instalment of essential cuts for the dancefloor and for high fidelity listening, quality is guaranteed.

From the East to the West, welcome to the Indian Summer of Love. Nasser Bouzida performs drums, percussion, guitars and keys whilst the album features several new flavours to the Bongolian sound with the prominent instrumentation of sitars and bansuri, along with flute, trumpet, saxophone and trombone performances from several stellular international guest musicians.

The begena is a large ten-stringed lyre which is part of the traditional Amharic heritage of Ethiopia. The Amharas, who have long formed the politically and culturally dominant people of Ethiopia, mainly inhabit the central and northern part of the country. In the majority, they follow the monophysite Orthodox Tewahido Church established in the early fourth century AD.

Music plays a very important part in the life of the church. Most of the liturgy is sung and, contrary to secular music, it is accompanied by percussion instruments only. The begena occupies a special place because it is the one melodic instrument exclusively dedicated to the spiritual repertory. Because of its mythical origin, it is highly respected. Tradition holds that the begena was given to king David by God, and brought to Ethiopia by Menelik I, together with the Ark of the Covenant. It has always been the instrument of kings and nobles. Played by pious men and women of letters, it never became widespread. But it never disappeared either, not even under the Derg regime (1974-1991) which had banned the instrument.

Among Amhara string instruments, the begena is the most carefully crafted, especially with regard to the ornately sculpted crossbar. Its ten gut strings are cleaned and twisted several times. The characteristic buzzing timbre equalled by no other Amhara instrument is due to the enzirotch, that is, small bits of leather placed between each string and the bridge. This plays an important part in the sound production by creating a brief contact between the string and the upper rim of the bridge, thus modifying the vibrating properties of the string. In this manner, the spectrum of the sound is considerably enhanced (up to over 10 kHz).

The begena is a very powerful instrument, it keeps the devil thirty steps away, and its presence in the home wards off malicious spirits. Priests and preachers recommend its presence, especially during Lent (Fassika Tsom) when the Orthodox Amharas ponder their sins and repent. Because of its spiritual import, the begena generates intense emotion. According to some musicians, playing the begena brings them into direct contact with God or the Virgin Mary. The religious role of the begena is underscored by the shape of the instrument, each part symbolises an important element of the faith. The crossbar for instance, which reaches across the entire width of the instrument, represents God who is above all things. The belly which "gives birth" to the sound represents the Virgin Mary, and the ten strings recall the Ten Commandments.

Recorded by Stéphanie Weisser in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 2002-December 2005.

Mastered by Renaud Millet-Lacombe.

Issued under license from VDE-Gallo, Switzerland.