LOVE SONGS VOL 2 (2 vinyls)

Description

TERANGA BEAT is proud to present keyboardist and composer YISHAK BANJAW for his first international release. Originally from Addis Ababa, he is known in Ethiopia for his unique sound world, innovative compositions, and his ability to re-write the traditional sounds of his country with a minimalist, soaring electronic grammar, extracting hypnotic gems with psychedelic atmospheres. A unique sonic alchemy. Yishak Banjaw recorded the album Love Songs Vol.2 in 1986, at his home, as part 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 to Ethiopia or abroad. As a result, Love Songs Vol.2 was neglected and remained an obscure experimental project. To date, Yishak has released seven albums in cassette format, but unlike other Ethiopian artists, he has never really managed to reach a wider international audience. On this album, Yishak Banjaw chose to perform everything with a small Casio PT – a children's piano – as he proudly states. He recorded the entire album live, directly onto his tape recorder. Although his preferred instrument is a Godwin keyboard, he preferred to borrow a friend's Casio, captivated by the sounds it produced. This choice alone demonstrates a talent and audacity compared to the music practiced by his peers at the time.