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Dub Colossus

In a town called Addis, Nick Page created an Ethiopian Dub Colossus. All set for their upcoming WOMAD show he describes how this celebrated project took shape.

Fresh from an explosive and sweaty, two hour live session in London’s Camden Town, complete with Ethiopian stage invasions, Nick Page is fired up about the reception to his Ethiopian dub project Dub Colossus. However, despite rave reviews and a much anticipated appearance at WOMAD he is deeply concerned about future prospects for cross cultural fusions and collaborations.

Avant garde guitar noise composer and reggae obsessive Nick Page aka Dubulah [founder member of Transglobal Underground and Temple Of Sound] arrived in Ethiopia with a musical map forming in his head based on a mind blowing mix of melodies and sounds that had invaded his consciousness through a random listening session at Sterns record store. He had discovered Francis Falceto’s extraordinary and very extensive Ethiopiques series and with it a missing link.

“At that time I was ready to give up the music. It was my goodbye cruel world but then I thought I might as well enjoy myself. So, I went off to Ethiopia. I arrived with no money and no jacket. It was freezing. I was 2000 feet above sea level,” he laughs. “Music of 60s and 70s Ethiopia was such a fusion. The musicians had quiffs! Then the military came in and deposed Haile Selassie and what was hopeful turned to evil in a very short space of time.” reflects Nick. However, the people who had made that music were still around. “It was that meeting of Middle East and Africa. It was trade routes and cultural identities. The Yemen is right opposite Ethiopia. There are no quarter tones in the popular music of Ethiopia. I’d never heard the like of it!”

With the agreement of Francis Falceto, he had already sampled tracks from the Ethiopiques collection, like Gétatchèw Mèkurya for Temple of Sound. Now in Addis he immersed himself in the city’s amazing musical community, meeting Mimi and Faleke, guided by friend and Addis resident Dan Harper, who he credits as a major contributor to the project. The result of these encounters was Dub Colossus In A Town Called Addis, an extraordinary album that was a fusion made in Zion, a musical meltdown that united the earth shaking, dub-wise science of Kingston Jamaica with traditional Azmari music, Ethiopian 60s pop and deep Ethiojazz. Beyond the jazz/world sphere, to this listener it was music that demanded to be played on the sound systems of Jah Shaka, Aba Shanti and Alpha & Omega.

Dub Colossus is a cross generational, cross genre project that commenced in a makeshift studio in downtown Addis. In the mix is Sintayehu 'Mimi' Zenebe - "the Edith Piaf" of Ethiopia and owner of the Doku Club, a venue devoted to traditional Azmari music along with Tsedenia Gebremarkos, a radio presenter and winner of a Kora award (Best female singer in East Africa 2004). Master saxophonist, Feleke Hailu, is a classical composer, Head of Music at the Yared Music School and part of a dynastic tradition that stretches back far beyond the classic hits his father arranged for the legendary Mahmoud Ahmed. Teremage Woretaw is a youthful carrier of the ancient Azmari tradition with a plaintive voice and skills on the messenqo (one-string fiddle). Finally, be prepared to be blown away by pianist Samuel Yirga - a student prodigy of classical and Ethiojazz.


Introduction to A Town Called Addis

It’s these musicians that make up Dub Colossus and despite Nick’s initially pessimistic view that it would never be seen live onstage they made their debut at Glastonbury 08. A gig on the free stage at the Barbican, to accompany the Ethiopiques concert, followed. “After that show we had 1500 people dancing like crazy including lots of Ethiopians - it was mad as Larry! People said it was more interesting than what had gone on in the main hall and that shocked a lot of people, including us!” laughs Nick. “I suppose my insanity for following the notion that you should do what you believe in has paid off.”

That said, as they prepare for WOMAD, Nick declares that cross cultural projects like Dub Colossus cannot exist without serious financial support. “It’s impossible!” he says, and recent experiences with regard to visas and the tax laws for musicians from outside of the EU have been crippling. “It may not be intentionally racist but the end result is one of racial and cultural discrimination. People need to wake up to the reality or for fusions like this it’s going to be all over.”

Paul Bradshaw / Straight No Chaser

Dub Colossus In A Town Called Addis and Return To Addis EP are out now (Real World)
www.myspace.com/dubcolossusmusic
© Photo - Phillip Ryalls

Dub Colossus perform at WOMAD Charlton Park 2009:
24 July: All Singing, All Dancing 14:00 / Big Red Tent 16:45
www.womad.org

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• womex 2009, October 29th
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• Kenyan Connections, Nairobi parties to the Obama beat



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