Killer work from this funky Finnish combo – a group who celebrate a strong decade in music with this really wonderful set! The Blassics bring in all the right sort of influences from African funk of years back, especially Ethiopian music – and they spin out tracks that are often nice and long, and which feature some tremendous jazzy solos from the horn section – players stepping out from the ensemble for individual expressions, and not just vamping with the rhythms! The rest of the instrumentation is great too – well-crafted, and shaded with all sorts of tones that really deepen the music in personal ways, and don't just echo styles of the past. Titles include "Afrohustler", "Special Occasion", "Ruff Strut", "West Side Glory", "Swazi Funk", "Yeketema Set", and "Hagerun Geleba". CD

A funky combo who draw heavily on elements from Ethiopian music – so much so that most of the album's titles are also written in Ethiopian script! The core instrumentalists are Finnish, and work together in a great blend of older Ethio roots and leaner contemporary funk – mixing heavy percussion with horns, bass, and lots of riffing guitar – all accompanied by vocals from singer Mikiyas Getachew, aka MikiMac – whose presence really helps give the songs a focus! The core founders of the group are guitarist Juha Sarkkola and trumpeter Turre Tammi – but the whole thing is definitely a strong ensemble affair – on titles that include "Yeselalewa", "Hagerun Geleba", "In A Sincere Way", "Nurona Bilhatu", "Why Is The Chicken Running", and "Block Hipat". LP, Vinyl record album