SAMA'I

TRACKLISTING


A1. Azmari - Zegiyitwali
A2. Azmari - Cosmic Masadani
A3. Azmari - Kamilari
A4. Azmari - Kugler
A5. Azmari - Tariq Al Sahara
B1. Azmari - Azalai
B2. Azmari - Fat Ari
B3. Azmari - K adikoy
B4. Azmari - Doni





INFO


Create d in Brussels in 2015, Azmari is a weaving musical odyssey that expertly fuses e thiogroove, dub, psychfunk and eastern sounds.

Taking inspiration fro m artists such as Okay Temiz, Mulatu Astatke, Cymande, Fela Kuti and The Helioce ntrics, an Azmari, literally "one who praises" in Amharic, is an Ethiopian singe r-musician, comparable to the European bard or the West African griot often acco mpanied with a masenqo - one-stringed fiddle or krar - lyre, two traditional eth iopian instruments.

Having released their debut EP 'Ekera' last year, a series of shows across Europe saw the Azmari sound develop and ten days performing in Istanbul opened the band's ears to the Turkish sounds and rhythms from the 1960s.

Keen to get back in the studio to start work on thei r debut album, studiously studying Turkish and Ethiopian scales, along with lear ning new instruments along the way including the berimbau, the ney and baglama, the Azmari sound transformed into a rebellious, unrelenting and mesmerising trip .

The resulting nine tracks that make up debut album 'Sama'i', releas ed 22nd January via Sdban UItra, is a deeply hypnotic experience where mesmerisi ng rhythms and winding improvisations send the listener in to a higher state of consciousness.

From the magical sax of album opener 'Zegiyitwali', to the dubby template of 'Cosmic Masadani' and joyous horns of 'Kugler', Azmari se amlessly blend African and oriental melodies with effortless precision, providin g a fresh take on the ethiojazz sound.

Elsewhere, the heavy, rhyth mic sounds of 'Tariq Al Sahara' and the mystical and cosmological 'Azalai' conti nue our sacred journey full of raging saxes and wig-out percussion, while the fr ee-spirited, trippy 'Kadikoy' coming in at nine minutes in duration, lends a tra nce-like quality to proceedings where psychedelic jazz meets afro-funk.