Sunday June 4th
Konzeptlos presents: Hailu Mergia *live* (Ethiopia / USA)
Afterparty: AKIWAWA with special guest DJ Cassawarrior (Australia), DJ Pun & Rainer
21h doors, 22h concert
Kaschemme Basel, Lehenmattstrasse 353, 4052 Basel
The keyboardist Hailu Mergia was a major star in 1970es Ethiopia, presiding over the country‘s leading instrumental ensemble Walias Band, which worked restlessly on the Addis Ababa hotel circuit and jamming with luminaries like Duke Ellington and Manu Dibango. In 1981 a good part of Walias including Hailu used the first ever US tour of an Ethiopian music group to escape the dictatorial Mengistu regime. Since then Hailu has been a resident of the Was- hington DC area, spending most of his recent years as a cab driver at the capital‘s Dulles Airport and playing only privately.
Brian Shimkovitz, operator of the acclaimed blog-turned-record label Awesome Tapes From Africa, who came across „Hailu Mergia & His Classical Instrument“, a somehow obscure 1985 cassette, in a music store in Ethiopia, tracked down the old maestro and reissued it. On the back of Shimkovitz‘ reissue, Hailu started to play live again in 2013, exploring the deep, liquid and hypnotic qualities of his music, while not forgetting to throw in some hefty bits of funk now and then. In May 2017 Hailu will for the first time make his „American“ band tour Europe, which in fact features the Ethiopian bass wizard Alemseged Kebede and the Trinidadian master drummer Kenneth „Ken“ Joseph.
DJ Cassawarrior is an African music pilgrim who regularly travels ‘the continent’ in search of the finest in rare vinyl gems. His penchant for Congolese Rhumba, West African Funk & Highlife, Sudanese Music and African Coastal sounds is only surpassed by his passion for 'Golden Era' Ethiopian music.
His collection of Ethiopian and Eritrean discs is second to none and rate among some of the most rare and sought after vinyls on the planet. His love affair of the sounds from ‘the Horn of Africa’ was initiated while playing bass guitar and touring with Ethiopian music great Mulatu Astatke, and later with Mahmoud Ahmed and Alemayehu Eshete. Cassawarrior is also a DJ regular at Glastonbury Festival, as well as being a radio presenter with Australia's premiere independent radio station PBS 106.7 fm.
FB-Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/748875448610825/
Konzeptlos presents: Hailu Mergia *live* (Ethiopia / USA)
Afterparty: AKIWAWA with special guest DJ Cassawarrior (Australia), DJ Pun & Rainer
21h doors, 22h concert
Kaschemme Basel, Lehenmattstrasse 353, 4052 Basel
The keyboardist Hailu Mergia was a major star in 1970es Ethiopia, presiding over the country‘s leading instrumental ensemble Walias Band, which worked restlessly on the Addis Ababa hotel circuit and jamming with luminaries like Duke Ellington and Manu Dibango. In 1981 a good part of Walias including Hailu used the first ever US tour of an Ethiopian music group to escape the dictatorial Mengistu regime. Since then Hailu has been a resident of the Was- hington DC area, spending most of his recent years as a cab driver at the capital‘s Dulles Airport and playing only privately.
Brian Shimkovitz, operator of the acclaimed blog-turned-record label Awesome Tapes From Africa, who came across „Hailu Mergia & His Classical Instrument“, a somehow obscure 1985 cassette, in a music store in Ethiopia, tracked down the old maestro and reissued it. On the back of Shimkovitz‘ reissue, Hailu started to play live again in 2013, exploring the deep, liquid and hypnotic qualities of his music, while not forgetting to throw in some hefty bits of funk now and then. In May 2017 Hailu will for the first time make his „American“ band tour Europe, which in fact features the Ethiopian bass wizard Alemseged Kebede and the Trinidadian master drummer Kenneth „Ken“ Joseph.
DJ Cassawarrior is an African music pilgrim who regularly travels ‘the continent’ in search of the finest in rare vinyl gems. His penchant for Congolese Rhumba, West African Funk & Highlife, Sudanese Music and African Coastal sounds is only surpassed by his passion for 'Golden Era' Ethiopian music.
His collection of Ethiopian and Eritrean discs is second to none and rate among some of the most rare and sought after vinyls on the planet. His love affair of the sounds from ‘the Horn of Africa’ was initiated while playing bass guitar and touring with Ethiopian music great Mulatu Astatke, and later with Mahmoud Ahmed and Alemayehu Eshete. Cassawarrior is also a DJ regular at Glastonbury Festival, as well as being a radio presenter with Australia's premiere independent radio station PBS 106.7 fm.
FB-Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/748875448610825/
