This blog is pretty much turning into a directional tool for other stuff I write. ,

veryyy interesting…thanks for sharing dinich — i definitely LOVE music that is acoustic, now it makes sense why…

Tpeace,

In professional music nothing replaces a group of real musicians getting together with real guitar, acoustic drums, saxophone etc….to make music.

Music production softwares such as cubase, protools, reason etc….can be used to do a fairly decent job. Most of the music u hear today done by ppl like Elias Melka etc…are done that way….In most cases it is a one man job and hence lacks the creative diversity of a band but there are musicians out there who r really good at it to a point that the average listner doesn’t hear the difference. In fact those sounds are so good it is not uncommon to use computers on stage for live performances these days.

But, the kind of production facetto talks about is the cheapest and the least professional form where you can literally train anyone within 15 minutes to do a song. 90% of the sound that comes out is pre-recorded to the keybaord and all u have to do is press a few buttons. Typically u would see those in habesha restaurants, small pente churches etc….The only good thing u can say about those at least they let ppl have fun and do their thing….because at the end of the day music is all about having a good time…

tsedey wrote:

has anyone paid attention to the story he is telling? He only took the hiphop genre and put a story in it, what’s wrong with that? i like it. the disco moves are well synchronized too & he didn’t even use english!
He’s so natural, i like the flow and his body language.
i hate ethio hiphop when they actually copy some trashy messages and talk about asses and blings.
v=dJKKeEYDUBk&feature=related

I agree!

also dinich – abo afe quirit yibelilih!! i agree with u 100% – he’s on a different realm from teddy afro this is a whole different level of ARADA! its the real addis streets talkin here lol (albeit narrating the stories of youth on the party scene)

and whoever said this is a regurgitation of western music…closely listen to the composition of guragetong or even the videos — i personally think the song is an ingenious fusion of guragigna beats and reggaeton (like the title alludes to) and zeraf has a nice section that has shilela…

i think in a different song he goes on about the little details of our culture and why we should be proud of it…i thought it was very uniquely delivered… i think THAT song is called ’selam hugni agere’ don’t remember..i’ll say 4 songs tops have something unique going for them in this album…the others are missing that lil bit of somthn i think…more of the same negeer nachew – i prolly wont go back and listen to them again

i agree with helen – this guy’s taking hiphop and putting HIS story in it..in HIS languageS (i think he uses more than amharic)…and diff beats/themes from ethiopia.

@ Nolawi:
btw RE: to your post about falceto’s comment
i wonder how different things are with using music production software like garageband as opposed to one keyboard with fixed meters minamin – maybe dinich can comment on that…

u know what u’re onto something here. i just finished listening to his album…some of the composition for his songs is pretty good esp zeraf & guragetong…there are maybe 1 or 2 others that were kinda nice as well…though i thought the content (lyrics & music) of his songs are a bit on the bland side – predictable

also — credit’s due where it’s deserved: dude knows how to spit amharic like none other i’ve seen

aha aha two people have now claimed i post false stuff in hopes of controversy ..

sure i like controversy.. but i trully think teddy yo is the solution…

doesn’t mean i am stupid..? or lying..

gin i am surprised that you guys have earlobes that appreciates synthesized vocals…

Wow 30 comments in 2 days.

I’ve been following this blog for a minute now and I don’t think this your real opinion on Ethiopian music.

But I think your intention of being provocative about the topic is working and that’s a good thing because we need to talk about Ethiopian music, which btw is equaling garbage. And Teddy Yo is not the SOLUTION, he is the PROBLEM.

LMAO at daTdude! you must be a disco baby.

KC, you guys are the greatest!

@ kc from the sunshine band:
can i get an autograph?

Nolawi. U spoilt lil brat. How dare u say u cnat put our music ahead of any music ? We were the pioneers of disco music, we were part of that movement that revolutnised the music scene of the 70s, we won multiple grammys if that means anything u twat but most of all we gave the world disco for ur parents to boogey with. U probably owe us for providing ur parents the soundtrack for ur conception, u ungrateful bastard. Now apologize to me and my whole band !!!!!!!

“Ethiopian music is completely junk these days.” Agreed. Yo’s music included. It looks like your thought process is back peddlin’ just a little bit.

there is no such thing as good/bad or fake/real music. If you feel it, you feel it. no need to justify your taste.

Nolawi,
Throwing a bunch of factoids completely unrelated with what you’re saying a point does not make!
The Teddy Yo tracks you’ve put up there are not products of “the one-man band”. In fact, to me, they’re not products of a band at all. But, whether a synthesizer was used or not, the production cost of those tracks, which is what the quote is talking about, I’ll bet was as cheap as the one-man synthesizer assisted band.
Synthesizers are not for everyone, but they’re a modern addition to music. On the one hand you deride people who oppose any use of modern instrument (“You know what Educated Ethiopians in the 1930’s and 40s said after the arba lijoch brass bands started to influence modern music…”) and on the other you oppose the use of synthesizers in Ethiopian music ….
Also, in these one keyboard music instrument tracks of Teddy Yo, the lyrics would be dishonest to a majority of Ethiopians.

You know what Educated Ethiopians in the 1930’s and 40s said after the arba lijoch brass bands started to influence modern music…

they said that modern bands…ruined ethiopian music…

they insisted on using masinqo washint senasel and kebero only ….

anyways out of the era was born modern ethiopian music…

60′70 80’s was great… there were some good stuff even in the 90’s..

not with the advent of synthesizers.. music is ruined.. facetto agrees with me

It’s the one-man band. A synthesizer playing all the lines. It’s very cheap production. Many musicians are discouraged. In the Ethiopian diaspora, in Canada and America, Sweden and England, all the productions are cheap as well. The rule is the keyboard. Apart from the very rare case. There are some Ethiopian producers who have tried to make real bands with real musicians. But it has been discouraged because the market is very small here. Of course, there are several hundred thousand Ethiopians in America, but it’s not big enough to make a market by itself, so the tendency is to make very cheap productions.

it seems like no one is reading what I am writing.

ep: that may be so. always two sides to a coin. ugly or no ugly, experimentational music is hard to find.

Nolawi, here’s one abesha tearing it up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4CQ8d2CXyI

datdude wrote:

@ ep:
lol ep…I just realized our comedians are better rappers than our rappers. Now if that doesn’t blow your mind……

lol, I didn’t realize it that way but thanks for re-phrasing my statement.

anonx wrote:

Always some strong sentiments against originalty on Bernos. I saw the music video just now and like it, far from garbage, that’s one original word btw

I think originality is overrated … this is my quote for people who try to tell crap works are original ..

Many years ago, Clement Greenberg said, “All profoundly original work looks ugly at first.” This should be updated now to “All profoundly ugly work looks original at first.”

ep wrote:

helen wrote:
Editing is good, the hook is catchy, …
Hook? I don’t listen any catchy hook in here..in fact horrible music..

Maybe you should take a second listen…
I found the hook catchy… but then again it is a matter of taset, aint it?

@ ep:
lol ep…I just realized our comedians are better rappers than our rappers. Now if that doesn’t blow your mind……

I will never buy this garbage. Please do not encourage this music by buying their CD. Hip Hop and ethiopian music don’t mix

did you guys listen to the second song its fantastic!

great thanks nolawi

Always some strong sentiments against originalty on Bernos. I saw the music video just now and like it, far from garbage, that’s one original word btw

helen wrote:

Editing is good, the hook is catchy, …

Hook? I don’t listen any catchy hook in here..in fact horrible music..

However it is good and unique try though it sounds like Kibebew Geda style..at lesat entertaining lyric ..

I dont know about the public in Ethiopia not having taste but I agree with most of what Nolawi wrote.

Teddy yo might not be your cup of tea but you have to admit he is talented. The production value of his videos are good, not cheesey as most other so-called Ethio hip-hop. Editing is good, the hook is catchy, the dancers are good… most importantly he is not dressed or acting like a poor imitation of a gangsta.

has anyone paid attention to the story he is telling? He only took the hiphop genre and put a story in it, what’s wrong with that? i like it. the disco moves are well synchronized too & he didn’t even use english!

He’s so natural, i like the flow and his body language.

i hate ethio hiphop when they actually copy some trashy messages and talk about asses and blings.

I love this one far more tho.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJKKeEYDUBk&feature=related