mikael seifu: zelalem

Mikael Seifu's Zelalem is an ode to - and a fearless break from - the storied lineage of Ethiopian music. The literal Amharic translation of Zelalem is "eternity," and through Seifu's conceptual frame it becomes a "vector of light." Seifu shines this light on the music of his home country while guiding us through an uncharted "Ethiopiyawi Electronic" - a coinage Seifu uses to describe the music he and his peers are producing in Ethiopia's capital city of Addis-Ababa. Zelalem spotlights the music of Ethiopia's past as well its future. Mikael Seifu illustrates the potential for reinterpreting sacred and proud sources through energized palettes. His latest effort heralds the future of this new music and signals the genesis of Ethiopian Electronic, where the known and unknown commune.