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Ahmed has been a star in Ethiopia almost since the day he began recording. His swooping vocals, complimented by the freewheeling jazziness of the Ibex Band (with whom he recorded his masterpiece Ere Mela Mela) is very different from what normally is lumped into the broad expression afro-pop. The rhythms are repetitive and intense, not too dissimilar from, say, Fela, just a little less hard. But it's Ahmed voice: swirling high notes that sound as if they're chasing one another, impeccable tone and phrasing that is the distinguishing element. By singing in this style Ahmed has attempted to fuse the past and present. He's not an elitist when it comes to singing older Ethiopian music but rather he hears the similarities in Ethiopian pop that have thrived over time and is keen to bring them together.
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
