admas: sons of ethiopia

In 1984, a band of Ethiopian exiles, living in Washington D.C. - on the run from the brutality and terror imposed by the Derg rule, a military dictatorship that had deposed Haile Selassie - privately presses one of the most fascinating pieces of the Ethiopian musical heritage. Sons Of Ethiopia, from Admas, is an unique piece of work, as a matter of fact one the few Ethiopian recordings to have been produced outside Ethiopia in the early 1980s, and contains the sound of a new generation - a visionary and instrumental album, rich with global influences that blend African approaches into new instrumentation, soul and jazz music, adding highlife, electro, go-go, samba, and roots reggae to the mix.

Admas took Ethiopian popular music into a completely new territory, producing a record that contains more musical influences than any other Ethiopian recording of the time, while still honoring Mulatu, Girma Beyene, Hailu Mergia and others. Seven tracks that have a fresh sound of youth, freedom and imagination, almost 40 years later. Sons of Ethiopia not only portrays a moment of discovery but also channels the country’s loss, its longing and hope, imbued with the melancholy and nostalgia so typical of Ethiopian music. This key document of the Washington D.C. Ethiopian exile scene is now remastered and reissued by Frederiksberg Records, inviting us to go deeper into their invaluable work. Available in vinyl with an extensively researched booklet, featuring unseen photographs and interviews with the band.