Admas' singular 'Son's Of Ethiopia' reissued by Frederiksberg

The diverse and complex album speaks as loudly today as when it was first recorded

By Rocco Universal.

Admas' highly-prized 'Sons Of Ethiopia' album is reissued by Frederiksberg Records for a timely release later this month. The works – originally released in 1984 – combine vibrant international influences with a richly personal cultural lineage.

Admas was comprised of members Tewodros ‘Teddy’ Aklilu, Henock Temesgen, and Abegasu Shiota, who were members of the Ethiopian diaspora living in early '80s Washington DC. The trio had previously played in a group called Gasha – one of the few Ethiopian bands active in the city at that time – and Admas evolved from the original band, inspired by a desire to let loose and explore experimental and contemporary musical forms. The group performed regular shows in the US capital for crowds of fellow Ethiopians living in exile, escaping the tyranny of the Derg Junta who had overthrown Haile Selassie and the Ethiopian government in 1974. In their home country, there was terror, economic decline, and famine, and many of their audience had lost loved-ones to the brutal regime there.

These players, then, were not born out of Ethiopia's 'golden age' music scene – where the likes of Mulatu, Girma Beyene and their peers forged a unique sound informed by Latin music, soul and jazz – rather, they were children of the terror of the Derg. This was a time where much of their country's music was a state-sponsored tool for propaganda. In finding a home in DC, the band were exposed to new forms, expanding upon their predecessors' fusion in adding reggae, highlife, samba and electro to the mix. These are all flavours which find space, to varying degrees, on this most experimental of albums. The music contained within tells a complex story – at once playful and light – yet also a deeply personal voyage born out of hardship, subtly echoing with whispers of loss and longing.

Musical highlights from the piece include the striking arrangement of opener 'Anchi Bele Game', where plucked guitar and keys harmonise a meandering lead melody, and deep bass occasionally slaps in to raise the energy. The piece breaks around the midpoint for a tantalisingly brief and surprising change of mood before settling back to its floating jazz groove. Then there's the magic of 'Kalatashew Waga', where jagged electro rhythms underpin the bold arrangement, and smooth jazz motifs interplay with sparse, experimental textures. Moving through we find the syncopated dub of 'Wed Enate' whose playful melodies, delays and fuzz guitars rise over earth-shaking bass. There are tracks as ostensibly disparate in tone as the mournful prog-rock of 'Astawesalehu', and the feel-good Latin of 'Samba Shegitu'.

This is one of the few Ethiopian albums to be recorded outside of Ethiopia at that time, and, as such, is a poignant snapshot of the diverse international community that found a home in the fertile ground of early '80s Washington DC. The collection has been officially licensed by the excellent Frederiksberg Records. The New York-based label was founded by Andreas Vingaard in 2013 as an outlet for exquisitely curated works of eclectic and imaginative sounds, encompassing jazz, folk, disco, ambient and more. Their reissue of Suzanne Menzel's 'Goodbyes and Beginnings' put them firmly on our map, and we've been following their output ever since. The record comes with extensive and meticulously researched liner notes from Francis Gooding, alongside interviews conducted by Vingaard, and makes for fascinating reading – helping to paint a vivid picture of the landscape from which the album evolved into being.

Admas 'Sons Of Ethiopia' is out July 27. You can listen and pre-order it here