As one of the figureheads of the golden age of modern Ethiopian music, Mahmoud Ahmed has led an extraordinary life. Starting out shining shoes and working odd jobs in a nightclub, his first moment in the spotlight came about almost by chance at the beginning of the 60s and since then he has piled success upon success, most famously with the eternal classic “Ere Mela Mela”. A look back at an interview from 2002.

Your music seems heavily influenced by African American culture. What were your initial influences?
Right at the beginning my first influences were Ethiopian singers, people like Tefera Kassa and Tlahoun Gessesse who were in Haile Selassie’s Imperial Body Guard band before me – not forgetting Alèmayèhu Eshèté of course, the Ethiopian Elvis.
At the beginning of the 70s I ran a record shop. I used to listen to an independent radio station called “Voice of the Gospel” and watch a lot of films, and through them I discovered singers like Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Harry Belafonte, Little Richard and James Brown. I remember seeing Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” at the cinema – what a lesson! I learned a lot by watching how they acted on stage.
Theoretically they all made very different styles of music but ultimately it is all based on the blues – the same for me too. I took parts of soul, rhythm’n’blues, rock and jazz to create my own sound. The most interesting for me was the huge variety of rhythms coming from America.

At the same time other musicians elsewhere in Africa were creating their own new styles that were influenced by American funk, soul and jazz. Did you know about Fela?
No, I only heard about him much later! was lucky enough to meet Myriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela when they came to play in Addis Ababa, and I began to see the connections with South African music. I could hear a certain similarity with urban Ethiopian music before the revolution in 1974, similarly for the music of Mali, Guinea and Senegal. The rhythms of the Sabar drums and what we call “Martinique beats” are very familiar to us. It’s natural – you have to understand that in the south of Ethiopia there is a lot of music that is very similar to Black African music: dorzé, waleyta, etc… I am from the Gouragués tribe, known for their great voices. But in the 60s we mostly had access to Sudanese, Nubian, Egyptian and Yemeni productions. Paradoxically, despite the fact that the emperor Haile Selassie was one of the founders of the OAU (Organisation of African Unity, precursor to the African Union), we had very little exposure to other African cultures. For example I never participated in FESPAC, and when we played in Kenya or South Africa it was always just shows for the Ethiopian community.

We often talk of the golden age of Ethiopian music, what is the current scene like?
It’s true there was a golden age, the emperor financed the big orchestras and they were real institutions. That was my school, it was where I started my career when I was a last-minute replacement for a singer in the Imperial body guard band. At the beginning of the 60s the body guard band dominated the Ethiopian scene. From the beginning of the 70s the big bands began to lose their best players as they left to form their own smaller groups, but it was with the military dictatorship in 74 that things really took a downward turn – the big orchestras weren’t what they once were and nothing really took their place. Nonetheless the quality of the arrangements – what marked us out – lasted despite the economic difficulties and political censorship.
There are still arrangers in Ethiopia today but they aren’t organized and as there are aren’t any long-running orchestras left the work is piecemeal. It’s down to economics – no-one wants to invest in an orchestra, not even the government! It should be up to the ministry of culture to help us and encourage a renaissance of the arts. We can’t rely on producers, they are only interested in short-term gain.

Your music takes on another dimension in concert…
Concerts are fundamental. That’s where the audience is and where I can best connect with them, especially when I’m touring abroad where the conditions are very different from those in Ethiopia. In Addis Ababa I mainly play for private parties but in Europe and the United States I play at major events. The audience doesn’t always respond in the same way. In France the audience is very knowledgeable, like connoisseurs, but whether the audience understands the lyrics or not I don’t change my set. The main thing is to feel the music beyond the words.

Thanks to Francis Falceto for the pics, and his help in 2002…

Photos by Etienne de Villars

We proudly introduce the man behind one of the greatest African Funk albums ever, Marijata band leader Pat Thomas. He is touring again with the fantastic band and his shows are incredible. Check the story behind this exemplary 40 years career.

Can you tell us the origin of your new record on Strut?
The record came about when Ben and Kwame approached me to work on the project. Ben had produced Ebo Taylor’s records on Strut and I’ve known Kwame since he was a baby! So it was a great team.

How did you record it?
It was recorded at Kwame’s studio in Accra. They also used Lovelite Studio in Berlin, where they had done the Ebo Taylor records.

You have some guests, old pals : Tony Allen, Ebo Taylor, Osei Tutu… What do they represent for you?
It’s great that Kwame and Ben brought those guys in. It brought a deeper level to the recordings, for sure.

You played with them in the 1970’s, memories?
Oh, too many!

You are accompanied by young musicians: Kwashibi Area Band. What does that change in your music over your old records?
The Kwashibu Area guys are great. So much energy! They keep me on my toes for sure.

What was the role of Kwame Yeboah for recording? sound designer? artistic director? New ears?
Ben and Kwame worked together on this project from day 1. Kwame has a great band and is a natural leader. I know Ben from his work with Ebo Taylor. The 2 of them made this happen.

The new record sounds like the old 1970’s ones. It was a voluntary choice, assumed?
Well you’ll have to ask Ben and Jochen about that.

“I Need More” sounds as the perfect «one more» track. Do you believe that a title from 1970 is still an hymn that summarizes the spirit of your music in 2016 ?
Hahaha! Well that song was recorded in the 1970’s and believe it or not we never performed it live at the time! It works great now and I think it’s still fresh.

Can we expect some reissues of your old discs, hard to find?
Yes I believe Strut will be releasing my « best of Pat Thomas » album soon. Some of my older records will be reissued later this year.

In the 1960’s, you started in the Broadway Dance Band and The Stargazers. Do you think the scene was richer than today in Ghana?
Oh well, that was a completely different time. In those days there were so many bands. If you wanted to go out, you would go to a club and dance to a live band. Nowadays it’s much different.

Yourself, how did you get started? Your first influences: your parents? Is that true your father was a music teacher and your mother a band leader?
Yes my family is musical. I started out singing with my uncle King Onyina who was a very famous and important highlife guitarist!

What do they teach, spread to your mind? And you, what have you teach to your daughter, who sings with you?
Oh, you learn by being there, you know…

What musician and what music has influenced you in your youth, and in the beginning of your career?
In Ghana we play a lot of different kind of songs. There are highlifes and funeral songs, also we played «copyright» which are covers of the popular songs of the day. I used to love Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye of course.

Do you believe highlife is still the matrix of your music? And how have you made the connection with the Nigerian afrobeat?
Highlife is my whole thing man. I grew up with highlife and will die with highlife. That’s our music, Ghana music. I never really sang afrobeat.

In 1978 You were crowned Mr. Golden Voice of Africa and at the time you won the ECRAC award of the year. How do you explain that you have not been as successful in Europe as other Africans?
The late 70’s were a difficult time in Ghana and many musicians left the country. I spent a long time abroad too. We played a lot in Europe, but in the Ghanaian community, not at European events.

Thereafter, you have recorded more disco highlife LP. Why this choice ? How these records have been received?
I sang those songs because that was the sound of the day. The burger highlife was very very popular. We had a lot of hits.

In the 1990’s, you had a first comeback with “Sika Ye Mogya”…
You say comeback, that’s strange to me because I never went away. I’ve been singing in Ghana the whole time.

How could explain this «renaissance» on european scene?
The new album was well received and now we can work! I hope it keeps going for ever!

For a year, you are again at the top. You tour a lot in Europe… Is this the same show that you can play in Accra?
Yes this is our show with Kwame and Ben and the Kwashibu Area guys. We played a show in Accra just before we came to Europe.

What are your future artistic projects?
For now I’m concentrating on the tour: we have a lot of new songs and the second album will come next year.

Thanks for their supports Christine @New Morning & Corinne Serres @MadMinute