[At the time of this article going to press the world is facing an unprecedented challenge one not experienced before. One which will change the landscape of our planet forever. It’s important as a nation to adhere to the instructions of the government and to keep safe. Both reading and music have been proven to help restlessness and relax our souls. This article along with many sources online aims to aid in your state of knowledge, wellbeing and pleasure….Look after yourself and each other Stay Safe]

ECQ 1. From the ‘Ethiopian Elvis’ (Alemayehu Eshete) to Mulatu Astatke your albums have captured some of the finest moments in Ethiopian music. If you could make a brand new recording with three artists past or present who would you pick and why?

"This first question could have been the final one – not as a conclusion, but mainly as a future prospect for Ethiopian music fully alive, and kicking internationally.

I am not nostalgic of Ethiopian imperial times, I just felt in love (35 years ago) with one among many great kinds of music from Africa, not only simply great but absolutely unknown outside its borders. It happened that this Ethiopian music heyday had coincided with the end of Hayle Sellassie’s reign.

As a music lover and a music activist, it was obvious to me then I had to share these “finding” and do something to promote it in a way or another. As a music consultant and concerts promoter then, the first decisions had been to invite Mahmoud Ahmed to perform in Europe, and to re-release his masterpiece record “Ere Mela Mela”.

About new recordings “of the past”, I have already partly responded, and in real: éthiopiques 30 GIRMA BEYENE & Akale Wube “Mistakes on purpose”, and éthiopiques 32 to be released soon “Nalbandian the Ethiopian” – two core influential people in the history of modern Ethiopian music, two artists whose essential role is not sufficiently acknowledged, but even belittled or silenced. And two gentlemen too modest to boast about themselves.

I wish I could have released essential artists like Etagegn “Zerrafe” Hayle, Shishig Chekol, Mary Armede, Abubaker Ashakih, Frew Haylu, Getu Ayele, Telela Kebede, or Wegayehu Degnetu, to name but a few. But it will be hopeless as long as ownership rights and copyright issues are not seriously fixed in Ethiopia (without mentioning the safeguarding conditions of old recordings).

As I feel extremely concerned by the present and future of Ethiopian music, there are of course more than one talent I’d love to see promoted on an international level. This is the role of a sister series of éthiopiques, ethioSonic: “Today’s Ethiopian Groove, in all its forms and wherever it may come from – Ethiopia, the diaspora or farenj”, that is the motto of ethioSonic series.

Focusing more on instrumentalists than on vocalists, I would underline some names of visionary artists, not only talented but importantly artists having to a prospective reflection about music(s) in Ethiopia, beyond strictly commercial goals. They could be the ones to influence Ethiopian music(s) development and true creativity in a close future. Among several others, Dagmawi Ali, Teferi Assefa, Melaku Belay, Abiyou Salomon, Abiy Wolde-Maryam, Sammy Yirga, Endris Hassen, Addis Alemayehu, Jorga Mesfin, Endegena Mulu, Kaethe Hostetter, Jonovan Cooper, Thomas Gobena, etc. They do not belong to the “middle of the road” music market, but sooner or later mainstream music regenerates by drawing inspiration from the margins”.

ECQ 2. This is clearly a labour of love. Can you let our readers into your world and tell us why you decided to release these albums and just how hard was it finding and negotiating terms?

"Thank you for underlining labour of love. Not too many Ethiopians think so, especially since it is a farenj who is taking care of such a project. Of course, it is not only a labour of love. This requests some fighting spirit too, and marathons endurance – and serious abilities in History too, obviously, because historical research is often in conflict with legends, hearsay, frequent self-promotion of interviewees, chauvinism or official doxa and other shortcuts… Backstage is not always as glamorous as the front stage…

Keep in mind that decades ago there had absolutely no reliable literature available about modern Ethiopian pieces of music and their history. How comes there is no music critic in Ethiopia, no art critic at large – or not enough? Even nowadays very few sharp Ethiopian students are committed to Ethiopian music studies. Doesn’t this go with Ethiopian culture of politeness and “etiquette”? Never say NO, don’t oppose loudly, don’t discuss so-called hierarchy but bow in front of it, etc. Free speech remains deep inside and is rarely shared or outspoken... Self-censorship is stronger and more devastating than state censorship. Yeluñta rams on the brakes…Not to mention meqeñanet…

I am asked (pretty often) “How come you, a farenj, are promoting Ethiopian music worldwide???” My answer is always the same: “How come this is me a farenj promoting Ethiopian music worldwide?” You Ethiopians should know how and why shouldn’t you”?

ECQ 3. The original recordings are very rare and a bit expensive when you find them. Were you aware it would be a different ball game trying to make albums like Ethiopiques series in Ethiopia? How was the reception of the series worldwide? Did you expect it to be a hit for the new audience outside of Ethiopia?

"When I started to gather sheklas (vinyl records) in Ethiopia more than three decades ago, I am afraid I was then the only person to do so. It was the time of cassettes then, and the time when piracy started to kill the whole music production system. Nobody would pay any more attention to this old-fashioned medium. For me, it was the starting point of my research, the basic raw material from which I could have a chance to understand a little about modern Ethiopian music history. The work of an archaeologist, in a-way. These vinyl records (shekla, Nowadays few people know that vinyl records used to be named shekla then…) became also the basis of the remastering process when the original masters were lost or not available anymore. That’s the way I could patiently build éthiopiques series. (Let me add that I have never sold a single one, despite the shocking craze that has grown on the internet in the recent years – and in Ethiopia too...)

With few different Ethiopian partners, we have been trying and trying obstinately, during several years and from the very beginning of the CD series (more than 20 years ago), to establish éthiopiques CDs availability in Ethiopia: CDs manufactured in Ethiopia and sold in Ethiopia at a decent Ethiopian price, cheap enough to discourage piracy. Guess what? a good bunch of disappointing failures. And mostly because there had never been an agreement in view about the royalties share for lyricists and music composers. It will be this way as long as there is no serious copyright protection in Ethiopia, with clear and fair rules – preferably internationally compatible. One wonders what is doing the so-called Ethiopian Musicians Association… It is sad to witness the heavy lack of organization among the music workers and artists at large. On top of that, such a situation of non-protection of artists rights allows free development of piracy, and it seems that the spoliation of producers and artists will never reach an end.

As I said at question 1, my primary goal was to expose abroad – to a farenj audience – this missing link in Africa’s musical history. From the very first release outside of Ethiopia (Mahmoud Ahmed, “Ere Mela Mela”, Crammed Discs, Bruxelles, 1986), music critics and records reviewers went crazy. The album got acclaimed everywhere, in Europe as well as in America (Top 5 album of 1986 in NY Times, January 7, 1987). Not that a big deal commercially speaking, but a real step ahead for Ethiopian music international recognition. Of course, due to the political situation in Ethiopia then (and active meqeñanet from inside the “musical power” then, (Namely: Mulatu Astatke and Tesfaye Lemma – the latter having acknowledged and apologized about that in the meantime), needless to say, that it has been impossible to finalize several attempts to invite Mahmoud Ahmed in Europe.

The idea of éthiopiques series arose afterward when I could realize enough how rich, diverse and numerous had been the productions in Ethiopia during the last years of the imperial regime. And of course when more than one legal point had been solved. On top of artists, core pioneer and activist producers Amha Eshete (Amha Records), and Ali “Tango” Abdella Kaifa (Kaifa Records) have been essential in this process. Kassahoun Eshete, at Philips Ethiopia, played his part too”.

ECQ 4. Talk to us about 'Ethiopian Modern Music' and your take on how the industry is evolving compared to 'the golden age of Ethiopian music'.

"Such a question would request a much too long and articulated answer, taking into consideration various parameters... Shortly, and first of all, my work is not about magic, and I have always refused to interfere in modern Ethiopian music production. But as an archivist, as a historian or even a musical columnist, I have the full right to speak freely and openly about what has happened in Ethiopia, musically speaking, over the past hundred years, as long as I am using fair and referenced arguments. There is no chauvinism for music lovers, aydel?

The concept of “music industry” itself should be questioned (by the way, there was no music industry in the so-called “golden age”). I am the promoter of this “golden age” or “Swinging Addis” label, but I never wanted to mean that Derg time’s music or today’s Ethiopian music is crap only and nothing else… It's our duty to underline and support exceptions, even the rarest ones.

Regarding urban modern music, there had a kind of enthusiastic unanimity then, which is not at all the case anymore (see Hewan Semon Marye, “ጩኸት ብቻ (Čukät Bǝča): ‘Just Noise’. Popular Music in Post-2005 Addis Abeba and Ityoṗiyawinnät”)…

Music producers of shekla times, both businessmen and music vanguard, don’t exist anymore. Music shops, the main producers during cassettes times (roughly 1975-2000), have almost vanished. And now is the time of self-produced artists, more greedy than creative. Most of them get their income from extra-musical sponsoring, not from the CD sale. Big lack of true artists, and too many music workers! – ketefa against pop art.

How comes contemporary Ethiopian music has almost no existence worldwide? – as opposed to Swinging Addis’ time music”?

ECQ 5. Although the music is from Ethiopia we gather your adventures take you all over the world, we’ve even seen your 7” box set in London for their ‘record store days’. Tell us about where you’ve been and any crazy stories.

”I came to Ethiopia more than five dozens times, mostly on my own and without institutional support except, occasionally and modestly, from the French Centre of Ethiopian Studies and Alliance Ethio-Française. Researchers on azmaris are also considered as azmaris themselves – everywhere, still.

As a provisional conclusion, I shall not conclude this response to your questionnaire without mentioning and paying due homage to an exceptional Hungarian website: ethiofolk.com. Just check it, and anybody can understand what has been done to safeguard and promote deepest Ethiopian music(s) (almost half a century ago!). A reference work.

Still, a lot remains to be done”.

#StaySafe

5 Things with 'ethiopiques'' Francis Falceto