Ethiopian synth visionary + Bmore synth/ drum art explorers share the night.

Hailu Mergia

Hailu Mergia is a keyboard wizard, who, after a successful career in Ethiopia, emigrated to America and created a sound and style that draws heavily from the Ethiojazz tradition, but is amazingly and awesomely his own.

“The sound is good… the sound is modern and old fashioned. The melodies are very nice melodies, so because of this, everybody had some kind of…. nostalgia.” That’s how Hailu describes the sound of his album Hailu Mergia & His Classical Instrument, on the Awesome Tapes From Africa label. Mergia is a keyboardist, arranger, composer, and veteran of the Addis scene. “Nostalgia” is an apt word—it’s the rough translation of the Amharic word “tezeta,” which is also used to describe a distinct style of Ethiopian song (articulated in the Ethiopiques series as “blues and ballads”). Like nostalgia, there’s something magical about Mergia’s music that is hard to put a finger on.

Perhaps that magic has something to do with how Mergia is the sole performer on this entire record. The original cassette of Hailu Mergia & His Classical Instrument came out in 1985 as Shemonmuanaye, during the early days of drum machines, synthesizers, and affordable home recording gear. The gossamer beauty of traditional Amhara, Tigrinya and Oromo melodies are thickened in a swirling arrangement of accordion, Rhodes piano, and Moog Synthesizer by a lone performer. Now that this album has been reintroduced in the digital age, it’s initial conceit of sounding “modern and old fashioned” has grown even more complicated—Shemonmuanaye documents the past, future, past-future, and, as well as the present day. As piece of “past-future,” the album jives neatly with Awesome Tapes’ aesthetic, the old (bygone cassette music) given a new life (easily downloadable via their blog).

For this show, Hailu will be performing of Fender Rhodes, Nord keyboard and accordion. He will be joined by a drummer and bassist.

In the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/21/arts/music/hailu-mergia-performs-in-brooklyn.html?_r=0

Wume

Wume is Al Schatz, who plays synthesizers, and drummer/vocalist April Camlin. The Baltimore duo creates minimalist music heavily influenced by the German Krautrock movement. But the duo is far more than their influences. Camlin is perhaps one of the most interesting drummers in Baltimore and Schatz creates layered synth lines that ad atmosphere and depth. Together, well, it is just perfect.

Listen: https://wume.bandcamp.com/

8pm | $15, $12 mbrs | + $3 at the door