WOMAD

Geata Krar Collective

From Ethiopia

More treats for the Addis addicts
OK, here's a direct message. Anyone who's felt their heart skip a beat while listening to the soulful and seductive grooves of the wonderful Ethiopiques reissue series needs to repeat the experience by hearing the Geata Krar Collective. Simple as that. For a slim three-piece, they make a gorgeous, multi-layered sound, one that picks you up and rushes you straight to the dusty streets of Addis Ababa. Drawing on the rhythms and traditions of their homeland's many different ethnic groups, the trio's backbeat comes from Robel Tesfaye's gently rumbling kebero drum while the groove is courtesy of the electrified krar harp, played expertly by Temesegan Tareken, a former star pupil of Ethiopiques heavyweight Mulatu Astatke. And then the hazy vocals of songstress Genet Asefad drift in like tobacco smoke, coiling their way around these melodies - and the audience - until resistance is utterly futile. You have been warned.
(Biography written by Nige Tassell 2010)

Geata Krar Collective's » Myspace Page