Ethiopian producer Mikael Seifu will make his debut on Matt Werth’s RVNG Intl. label. in March with a five-track EP called “Zelalem”. According to the label, Mikael Seifu’s first offering is “an ode to – and a fearless break from – the storied lineage of Ethiopian music.”
The literal Amharic translation of Zelalem is “eternity,” and through Seifu’s conceptual frame it becomes a “vector of light.” Seifu shines this light on the music of his home country while guiding us through an uncharted “Ethiopiyawi Electronic” – a coinage Seifu uses to describe the music he and his peers are producing in Ethiopia’s capital city of Addis-Ababa. Feast your ears on Mikael Seifu’s first beam of Ethiopiyawi light, “How To Save a Life (Vector of Eternity)”, above. It’s such a great tune.
The “Zelalem” EP arrives on March 4 on vinyl and digital formats through RVNG Intl.
You can pre-order your copy here.