ሸገኔዎች (Beauties), by Aselefech Ashine & Getenesh Kebret

ሸገኔዎች (Beauties)

by Aselefech Ashine & Getenesh Kebret

supported by

torsten This is my first recension within one year. The outstanding re-release of this great album from the times before the Ethiopian Dictatorship is a importont document and witness of humanity - a society in which the free expression is a human right as free speech, religion, gender and so forth. I am deeply moved by this life force. Liberation of all oppressed people is the one and only hope for the forthcoming existence of humanity as a whole. Glory be to Jah and: tell the children the Truth. Favorite track: Tenafakiwou Tersseh.

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
1st edition - high quality 12" vinyl in deluxe tip-on jacket with lyric translations and short interview with Aselefech Ashine!

Includes unlimited streaming of ሸገኔዎች (Beauties) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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Purchasable with gift card

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Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

$7 USD or more
Limited Edition Test Pressing
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Stamped test pressing with risographed cover and album insert.

IF YOU ARE IN OUR CSR RECORD CLUB AND ORDER THIS RECORD, LET US KNOW FOR A $12 CREDIT TO YOUR ACCOUNT!

Includes unlimited streaming of ሸገኔዎች (Beauties) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Sold Out

1.	Ene Yalant Feker 03:11	buy track
2.	Meche Neow 03:35	buy track
3.	Kenawtte 02:55	buy track
4.	Amlak Abet Abet 04:47	buy track
5.	Amerewal Shegennu 03:31	buy track
6.	Lametew 03:37	buy track
7.	Wegenne 06:09	buy track
8.	Tenafakiwou Tersseh 03:47	buy track
9.	Ayinouma 04:54	buy track
10.	Jegenaw Belaye 06:02	buy track

about

A lost classic of the Ethiopian Golden Age, reissued in full for the first time!

On this 1976 gem of a record, Aselefech Ashine and Getenesh Kebret’s voices intertwine in close harmony, the two “beauties” singing in duet across 10 gorgeous tracks. The Army Band, which backed greats like Tlahoun Gesesse and Mahmoud Ahmed, brings Mulatu-esque minor-key piano runs, interlocking percussion, and rock-steady basslines. Arranger Teshome Sisay’s flute winds through the compositions, tying together gloriously woozy horns. The greatest elements of Ethiopia’s Golden Age combine here, in one of the final records of the era.

Aselefech and Getenesh were raised in the bustling cosmopolitan world of late-empire Addis Ababa. They met at the Hager Fikr Theatre, the legendary center for art and cultural learning in Addis, where they were trained in centuries-old vocal techniques as well as acting.

BEAUTIES was a hit, selling out upon its release in 1976. But its glory was short-lived. The Derg Regime was imposing strict crackdowns on music and artistic expression. Targeted as allies of the deposed Emperor Haile Selassie, the artists (and most musicians) had to keep a low profile. For two decades, nearly all recording and live music would cease in Ethiopia. This is one of the last great releases of the Ethiopian Golden Age.

Though she was never able to release a second record, Aselefech Ashine is proud of her work. From her home in Addis she says: “I have full confidence that this album will be popular and a hit when it is released again now!”

This album, long in the works, is released in collaboration with the artists and the mighty Domino Sound of New Orleans. Newly remastered vinyl comes in old-school “tip-on” jacket with lyric translations, photos, and an interview with Aselefech Ashine.

credits

released June 16, 2023

Sung by Aselefech Ashine & Getenesh Kebret
Composed and Arranged by Teshome Sisay
Backed by the Army Band

Originally released as LPKF 79 on Kaifa Records, 1976

Reissue produced by Matt Knowles and Cyrus Moussavi
Production Coordination by Yayehyirad Alamerew
Lyric Translation by Temnit Gebru
Cover Artwork Restoration by Brian Mumford
Liner Notes Layout by Fiona Ryan

Remastered by Timothy Stollenwerk / Stereophonic
Lacquer by Adam Gonsalves / Telegraph Mastering

Thank you: Kidus, Lloyd Cargo, Cass Horsfall, Adam Holofcener, Maria Barrios, Sam Wenc

Mississippi Records MLP-202 / Domino Sound DS-44

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Vital but often overlooked music made accessible through quality and affordable records and tapes, with respect to artists and their vision.

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