Reviving Ethiopia’s Musical Legacy
Record label Muziqawi has announced the rerelease of Stereo Instrumental Music 1976 album by the legendary Ibex Band.
The album, first recorded in 1976 using cutting-edge four-track technology, remains a milestone in Ethiopian music history, showcasing Ibex Band’s contributions to the genre.
“We are beyond excited to announce the highly anticipated re-release of Stereo Instrumental Music, the groundbreaking 1976 album by the legendary Ibex Band,” record label Muzikawi said on Friday.
The record, which has shaped the course of modern Ethiopian music, will be available worldwide on all streaming platforms starting April 11th, 2025. A limited edition double LP of Stereo Instrumental Music will also be released alongside the digital version.
The album features the innovative sounds of Giovanni Rico and Selam Woldemariam, who were at the creative helm of the Ibex Band. Their work, Muzikawi says, “laid the musical foundation” for Ethiopian legends like Aster Aweke, Girma Beyene, Tilahun Gessesse, Mulatu Astatke, and Mahmoud Ahmed, including the iconic Ere Mela Mela.
The Ibex Band, which later evolved into The Roha Band, played an essential role in defining the sound of Ethiopian music from the mid-70s onward.
The re-release of Stereo Instrumental Music shines a light on a crucial chapter in Ethiopia’s musical evolution, says the record label. It also shows Ibex Band’s innovative approach to music that helped them remain at the forefront of the scene, leaving a lasting impact on the country’s music culture.
Often hailed as a golden age, Ethiopian music of the 1970s is more than just nostalgia—it’s a continuum of innovation. At the heart of this evolution was The Ibex Band, later known as The Roha Band, a defining force behind Ethiopia’s greatest stars: Aster Aweke, Tilahun Gessesse, Girma Beyene, and Mahmoud Ahmed.
Emerging from the Soul Echos Band, Ibex reshaped Ethiopian music, blending traditional 6/8 rhythms with Western influences like Motown and The Beatles. Led by Giovanni Rico (bass) and Selam “Selamino” Seyoum (guitar), they modernized the chickchicka rhythm, creating a sound both rooted and forward-thinking. Their impact extended beyond performance—their instruments, arrangements, and relentless output (over 250 albums, 2,500 songs) set new standards.
Stereo Instrumental Music (1976) is a rare gem from this era, recorded at the Ras Hotel Ballroom in Addis Ababa. Thanks to Swedish sound engineer Karl-Gustav Lundgren and Ethiopia’s first fourtrack recorder, Ibex captured their intricate compositions under the looming political constraints of the time. Shortly after, The Voice of Gospel Radio (which supplied the equipment) folded, making such recordings nearly impossible in the following years.
Despite curfews and restrictions, Ibex never stopped. They toured across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, shaping Ethiopian music even as the landscape changed. Their music remains timeless—a bridge between past, present, and future. Stereo Instrumental Music is not just a rediscovery; it’s a testament to their enduring legacy.
Recorded at the Ras Hotel ballroom in Addis Ababa in 1976, Stereo Instrumental Music presents a unique document of the vibrant Ethiopian music scene of the 1970s
Francis Buseko
The title of the album’s opening track, ‘Kemd’layey’ translates to “harmony, agreement, and coming together.” That’s what this album does. It doesn’t shout – it gathers. Like breath returning to the body. Like dust settling. You don’t need to know the names of the instruments or even the country. You just feel it: the quiet agreement between soul and sound.
‘Yezemed Yebada’ (“Of Time, Of Struggle”) carries faint Latin swaying horns, warming a quiet room at dawn. While ‘Yene F’qr’ (“My Love”) moves like a gentle breeze beneath the African sun: soft, tender, and comforting. It doesn’t call attention to itself. It simply arrives. And it lingers close, steady, full of feeling. On ‘Skaysi Y’ke’al’yu’, which loosely evokes the idea of release from suffering, saxophonists Tedros Mitiku and Fekadu Amdemeskel lift the track into something like levitation. This isn’t mourning; it’s transcendence. And then there’s ‘Asa’belashalehu’, a lullaby of sorts. Not one whose intent is to put you to sleep, but one that stirs something deeper. The phrase translates as “I offered you the gift of the sea.” It’s calm, nourishing, elemental. Like being held. Like being remembered.
Throughout the album, the chemistry between the musicians is palpable. Whether it’s Tesfaye Mekonen on drums, Girma Chipsa on conga, or Dereje Mekonen on keys, the band moves with instinctive synchronicity. They only had about fifteen minutes to set up the microphones stealthily, without alerting the Ras Hotel management or the authorities and had to finish the recording before curfew hit at midnight. A kind of sonic Cinderella moment.
Ethiopian jazz album from 1976 which resists easy categorisation
by Kieron Tyler / Sunday, 06 April 2025
Stereo Instrumental Music was recorded in July 1976 and originally issued only on cassette. The release was organised by what was credited as the “Sun Shine Music Shop,” an enterprise which seems to have left no additional imprint. No further “Sun Shine Music Shop” albums are known.
In contrast, Ibex Band, the outfit which recorded Stereo Instrumental Music, had a lineage outstripping that of the label which released the album. In 1975, they had issued an album and four related singles where they backed established vocalist Mahmoud Ahmed. They also backed Aster Aweke on one of her early albums. Ibex Band could be, so to speak, a backing band which was on call. The outfit’s flute and sax players Fekadu Amdemeskel and Tedros Mitiku, and drummer Tesfaye Mekonen all had pasts embedding them in Ethiopia’s music scene: they were former members of The Soul Ekos, who were active from the late Sixties.
Looking forward, for some of its members Ibex Band was a way station. After Ibex Band split in 1979, Giovanni Rico (bass), Selam Woldemariam (lead guitar) and Fekadu Amdemeskel immediately formed Roha Band, which called it a day in 1993. Throughout, Rico continued playing with Mahmoud Ahmed.
While Ibex Band and its members were integral to Ethiopia’s music, the related local infrastructure was limited. Playing live would keep a band going – Ibex Band had residencies at Addis Ababa's Ghion and Ras hotels – but there were few record labels. Amha Records was active between 1969 and 1975 and Kaifa Records was a going concern between 1973 and 1977 (much of what’s on the Éthiopiques series of compilations draws from the two label’s catalogues). Do-it-yourself was often the default option.
In this spirit, when Ibex Band got the opportunity to record in 1976 the arrangements were necessarily ad hoc – they had to be due the constrictions of operating under the restrictive, unpredictable Derg regime and the curfew it imposed. A radio station named The Voice of Gospel Radio had four-track recording equipment – the only such set-up in Ethiopia – which was brought to the Ras to tape what would become Stereo Instrumental Music. The equipment was operated by Karl-Gustav Lundgren, a Swede who was working with the Ethiopian Evangelical Church. It took 15 minutes to arrange the microphones, after which the band recorded eight of the album’s 12 tracks. It was done in secret, and had to be completed by midnight so no one would be caught breaching the curfew. Four more tracks were recorded soon after in the same setting, but without Lundgren. True to what would be chosen as the album’s title, it was an instrumental set and, due to the recording equipment, it was in stereo.
the card insert from the original 1976 cassette release of Stereo Instrumental Music
The band which recorded Stereo Instrumental Music was Fekadu Amdemeskel (flute and sax), Girma Chibsa (congas), Dereje Mekonen (keyboards), Tesfaye Mekonen (drums), Tedros Mitiku (flute and sax), Giovanni Rico (bass) and Selam Woldemariam (guitar).
Despite the guerrilla-style nature of the album’s recording, the performances are very tight. This is a well-drilled band. What’s captured is cosmopolitan as such. Consequently, it resists easy categorisation. The drums are to the fore, especially the constant trade-off between the snare and hi-hat. Add in circular, looping bass lines and Ibex Band’s groove is defined. On third track “Zerafewa” the interplay highlights the 6/8 time signature, which has the effect of adding impetus to what, overall, is otherwise a drifting, leisurely performance. The album is slanted towards jazz – especially when the flutes take the lead melody lines – but this is contrasted with a marked Stax soul feel, evident on “Yene F’qr Skaysi “ and “Y’ke’al’yu.” If each had a vocal line, both would work well as yearning soul ballads. “Shemonmuanaye” is less straightforward, its calliope-like structure positing it as the soundtrack to a filmic depiction of a bad dream. On “Ay w’bet,” Woldemariam’s wandering guitar nods towards blues, hinting at a familiarity with 1968/1969 Peter Green.
Stereo Instrumental Music became a form of full stop. Although they backed Mahmoud Ahmed on his 1978 Jeguol Naw Betwa album, there were no more Ibex Band albums. Roha Band followed in 1979 and, ultimately, Selam Seyoum and Fekade Amde Maskal settled in America. Stereo Instrumental Music was a snapshot of a particular moment in Ethiopia’s music – freeze-framing a band with its own take on what should be brought on board to follow its own musical path.
አይቤክስ ባንድ = Ibex Band – ስቴሪዮ የአይቤክስ ባንድ ሙዚቃ = Stereo Instrumental Music
Label: Muzikawi – none
Format: 12 x File, WAV, Album
Country: Ethiopia
Released: 2025
Style: Ethio-Jazz
Source: Digital
2. Meleyayet Mot Naw (መለያየት ሞት ነው) 7:54
3. Zerafewa (ዘራፌዋ) 6:39
4. Shemonmuanaye (ሸሞንሟናዬ) 3:09
5. Yezemed Yebada (የዘመድ የባዳ) 3:51
6. Hakim Zemose (ሃኪም ዘሞሴ) 4:53
7. Yene F’qr (የኔ ፍቅር) 3:34
8. Skaysi Y’ke’al’yu (ስቃይሲ ይከአል’ዩ) 4:48
9. Turumbule (ጡሩምቡሌ) 3:11
10. Ay w’bet (አይ ውበት) 7:27
11. Asa’belashalehu (ዓሳ አበላሻለሁ) 6:01
12. Yenuro Meten’sh’n (የኑሮ መጠንሽን) 4:17
Credits
Arranged By, Producer, Bass – Giovanni Rico
Arranged By, Producer, Guitar – Selam Seyoum
Congas – Girma Chibsa
Drums – Tesfaye Mekonen
Keyboards – Dereje Mekonen
Recorded By – Ibex Band (tracks: 9-12), Karl-Gustav Lundgren (tracks: 1-8)
Saxophone, Flute – Fekadu Amdemeskel, Tedros Mitiku
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