The Asmara All Stars

The Asmara All Stars project is all about leaving politics behind and focusing on making exciting music. At first, French producer Bruno Blum had a hard time getting the ball rolling, but eventually more and more musicians got excited by his unusual approach and talent began flocking to the studio. In the end ideas were flowing freely in Asmara. A process with several obstacles along the way. The fruits of this long but ultimately rewarding process are now released on a very special album.

The debut album, 'Eritrea’s Got Soul’ was recorded in Asmara, Eritrea’s capital city, in 2008 with a heavy, analog live band sound featuring electric krar, a full horn section, a funky organ and haunting vocals by some of the country’s most famous singers. Young singer Temasgen Yared came up with the soulful 'Ykre Belni', seemingly straight out of the heyday of Abyssinian soul jazz. Another highlight is Faytinga’s 'Amajo' which fuses Kunama rhythms with a roots reggae beat, and Mahmoud Ahmed Omer delivering the uptempo dancefloor smash 'Adunia' featuring a rare sample of local hip-hop.

‘Eritrea’s Got Soul’ explores the vast variety of this country’s genuine music: Tigré legends Ibrahim Goret and Brkti Weldeslassie stand alongside the raw 'blues' 'Inedir' by Adam Hamid and the beautiful talent of young Sara Teklesenbet. The album brings together different musical styles and rarely heard languages by eight ethnic groups, including Kunama, Nara, Bilen, Afar, Saho, Hedaareb, Tigré and Tigrigna. A rebirth of urban Eritrean music from the depths of the country’s rich history.

The producer, Bruno Blum from Paris, a guitarist, songwriter, producer and free spirit, is known for his Serge Gainsbourg dub and DJ remixes and the now classic version of Bob Marley’s “War” (featuring Haile Selassie’s original speech and the Wailers).