Ethiopiques, Vol. 2: Tetchawet - Urban Azmaris Of The 90's

Once the explicit strangeness of first hearing Ethiopian pop wears off, its uniqueness starts to sink in. Because traditional Ethiopian songs delight in wordplay, double entendres and extended metaphors, pop arrangements tend toward starkness, the better to spotlight the dramatic vocals.

Originally wandering minstrels who roamed the old Abyssinian countryside, many azmaris settled down after the founding of Addis Ababa just over a century ago. The cleverest of them understood that they should set up their own business and take a cut on the drinks instead of getting by on tips earned singing their way from one bar to another. They took over the city by giving rise to a musical genre specific to Addis, called bolel, a mix of azmari traditions (praise or sarcasm at will, depending on the size of the tip) and of modern urban culture.
Tètchwèet, a sort of musical postcard from the Addis Ababa of the 90s, does not pretend to capture all the strands of Ethiopia's contemporary music, and the artists recorded don't necessarily belong to the family of azmaris.