LOVE SONGS VOL 2 (2 vinyls)

Description

TERANGA BEAT is proud to present keyboardist-composer YISHAK BANJAW for his first international release. Originally from Addis Ababa, he is recognized in Ethiopia for his unique sonic universe, his innovative compositions, and his ability to rewrite the traditional sounds of his country with a floating minimalist electronic grammar, drawing from it hypnotic gems with psychedelic atmospheres. A unique sonic alchemy. Yishak Banjaw recorded the album Love Songs Vol.2 in 1986, at home, on the sidelines of a project with the Police Band in Eritrea. The album was released on cassette by an Eritrean label, which also distributed it in Ethiopia, but political instability prohibited any travel in Ethiopia as well as abroad. As a result, Love Songs Vol.2 was set aside and remained only an obscure experimental project. To this day, Yishak has released seven albums on cassette format but unlike other Ethiopian artists, he never really managed to reach a wider audience abroad. On this album, Yishak Banjaw chose to perform everything with a small Casio PT, a children’s piano, as he proudly claims. He recorded the entire album live, directly onto his tape recorder. Although his instrument of choice is a Godwin keyboard, he preferred to borrow a friend’s Casio, seduced by the sounds it produced. This choice alone illustrates his talent and boldness compared with the music practiced by his contemporaries at the time.