Punt – Made in Ethiopia (2009)
12 tracks, 64 minutes
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Albums with lots of guests are usually a mixed bag – of qualities as well as styles. Just like with supergroups, it seems pretty accurate that the number of big names involved in the album-making process has a direct correlation with the likelihood that it comes out limp at the end of it. So when the back of the CD case for this album lists guest slots from no fewer than 19 musicians, you’d probably be forgiven for your misgivings. On the other hand, there’s me seeing the names Mahmoud Ahmed, Justin Adams, Juldeh Camara, Samuel Yirga, Count Dubulah, Mimi Zenebe, Neil Perch and Martin Craddick and just getting too exciting to hear all of their musical brains working together. What can I say, it’s a drug.
Luckily, with Invisible System guiding the ship, it all works to make an enjoyable trip (well, for the most part). Invisible System is the musicking moniker of Dan Harper, who works within electronica, dub and trance to create intelligent but dance-heavy fusions with African music. As an environmental worker, Harper lived for spells in both Ethiopia and Mali, two intensely musical cultures, and dove into the music scenes of both places, learning ways, making contacts and recording as much as possible. The Invisible System discography shows close work with musicians of both cultures, but for this first official release, it is Ethiopian music that takes the fore.
And, yes, it works. Maybe the track-by-track quality does fluctuate a little bit because of the supergroupification, but on the whole, the contributions of the Ethiopian musicians gel really well with Harper’s dubtronica, and it’s especially exciting when it bends towards the proggier side of things too. Because when this album hits its stride, it really hits. The third track, ‘Melkam Kehonelish’, is a stand-out for me. It brings together the old and new guards of Ethiopian jazz (legendary singer Mahmoud Ahmed and pianist Samuel Yirga, respectively), sticks Justin Adams providing trippy, atmospheric guitar in the background with Harper’s electronics providing a brooding dub – and bonus points for a wailing sax solo, the identity of whose performer evades me.
Harper himself is very vocal in reminding people that it was as part of the Invisible System project that Count Dubulah first connected with Ethiopian musicians, the meeting that eventually led to the creation of Dub Colossus. That Ethio-dub outfit ended up far eclipsing Invisible System in terms of popularity and success, and Harper’s perceived lack of recognition on the part of Dubulah remains an obvious sore point that seems to make its way to any mention of Invisible System’s output (although I’m sure Harper wouldn’t be happy with me putting it that way). I’ll be honest that it puts me off a little bit – for this project to be tainted with a palpable bitterness on the part of its main creator is a disservice. Nevertheless, it shouldn’t take anything away from the album’s most important aspect – its music. To turn the improvised jams of 20-odd musicians into an album that is not just coherent but tightly structured while still allowing a free-flow of creative ideas is an impressive feat that should not be overlooked.
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