(Modern Creative, Afro-beat, Fusion, Ethnic Jazz) Imperial Tiger Orchestra - Addis Abeba - 2010, MP3, 320 kbps

Absinthe Music & Mental Groove Records unite to reveal one of Geneva's best kept secret: Imperial Tiger Orchestra.
While compilations of music of Ethiopian heritage are flooding the market, Imperial Tiger Orchestra offers a unique sound combining modern and traditional inspiration.
The Orchestra's repertoire consists of revamped remakes of songs from the golden age of Ethiopian music: a powerful horn section, deadly percussions and relentless keyboards provide a merciless and efficient instrumental reinterpretation and improvisation based on original vocal songs. Preserving the natural beauty of melodies and Ethiopian sound while exploring uncharted territory, playing with textures and dynamics, adding distortions and noise to complete beautiful pieces, the self-proclaimed counterfeiters embrace dark hypnotic rhythms, obsessive basslines and grooves from electronic music. Far from any purist notions, the musicians surprise and delight with traditional Thaï "phin" guitar mixed into traditional ethiopian "kebero" percussions. Just one example among many others. It's groove experimentation, it's improvisational heat.

Raphael Anker: trumpet
John Menoud: sax baryton
Alexandre Rodrigues: fender rhodes, roland juno
Cyril Moulas: bass, phin
Julien Israelian: drums
Luc Detraz: percussions