Shashemel: 30 Nov Live01-02-04 Min

Date: November 30, 2023 (Archival Review) Genre: Experimental / Electronic / Ethio-Jazz Fusion Format: Digital Bootleg / Live Session

Dark roasted Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee, a light rain outside your window, and headphones with a wide soundstage. Have you heard this recording? Is "Shashemel" a misspelling of the town, or a specific artist alias? Drop your memories of the Shashemene live scene in the comments. Shashemel 30 Nov Live01-02-04 Min

The file names (01, 02, 04) suggest a missing track 03—perhaps the master tape was damaged, or the band played a tune the taper chose to delete. The "04 Min" on the end implies the final track might have been meant to be four minutes, but the band played for sixteen. Drop your memories of the Shashemene live scene

If you can find this file (buried on a obscure blog, a Soulseek queue, or a cassette traded at a market in Addis), do not listen to it for clarity. Listen to it for presence . You are not listening to a band. You are sitting on a wooden bench in Shashemene, on November 30th, as the world outside melts into rhythm. If you can find this file (buried on

This is the beauty of underground live recordings: they document failure, euphoria, rain, and broken bottles.