Black Friday will be our downfall, that is unless we take this and every other day to celebrate and support new, upcoming and already existing releases by artists, who, let's be honest, would for the most part not be able to do what they do, without some financial backing. That being said, today marks the much-awaited release of Tel Aviv-based and Ethiopia-born artist Gili Yalo's debut solo LP on the equally promising new imprint Dead Sea Recordings.
We warned you back in September, when Gili previewed his groove-ridden first single "Selam" along with an equally appealing companion video. With a unique background, which led him from Ethiopia, across Sudan and finally to Israel, his distinctive musical approach combines Ethiopian roots music with modern touches of jazz and soul and an instantly recognisable voice. His self-entitled debut album then is "a rich patchwork of colour and rhythm, like Africa itself", while you may detect influences from acclaimed artists the likes of James Brown or Mulatu Astatke.
Headlining today's album release is his latest single "Africa", a collaboration with Tel Aviv vocalist and multi-instrumentalist KerenDun, whom you may already be familiar with from projects such as Buttering Trio. "Africa" also comes decked out with fresh visuals. Check out the video below, or listen to the track in the SoundCloud player above. "Gili Yalo", a collaborative effort with top music producers Beno Hendler (Balkan Beat Box) and Uri Brauner Kinrot (Boom Pam) as well as a string of rising talent from the burgeoning Tel Aviv scene, is sure to leave a lasting impression.
This just in: Gili Yalo is confirmed to perform at this year's Trans Musicales festival in Rennes, France on December 8th and 9th. Big up!