Dan (guitar, bass, keys, samples, programming, percussion, vox, didge : engineering/production/composition) Vox : Mimi, Desta, Teremag, Tsedenia (Kora Award Winner) and Mahmoud Ahmed Ethiopia's main man & BBC3 award winner (world music), Dennis Wint (Rhythmites & Progression); Wind & Brass : Feleke and Johnny (Mahmoud's sax player); Traditional violin (masinko), harp (krar) and flute (washint) by Leykun, Teremeg & Jonny; all psy'ed up + various floating contributors from bands mentioned on projects and collusions etc e.g. Ozrics Ed, Static/Ozrics Joie, Mervus, Captain Sensible, Dubulah (Transglobal, Natasha Atlas, Temple of Sound, Simon Hinkler (The Mission), Zion Train, Rythmites Dennis, Justin Adams (Robert Plant) & Juldeh, Hilaire (Baba Maal), Martin (Baka Beyond & Outback) etc, extra bass Bos (Boswell & Warp graffiti art), Dendron, Junkwaffle, Animals & Men)
Influences
Blimey - how many!? Olders were like gong and black sabbath / the neph and the cult etc; electro e.g. William Orbit and Prodigy; all the psy/prog/dance stuff from me yocal mates static and ozrics to focus and edgar winter!(some!) - the on-u stuff from african head charge and dubsyndicate; older normal U2 and the cure years ago; ; glam the Antz; Tribal Bow Wow Wow; Afro Habibe Koite and Gigi etc; World Lec Transglobal and matey Toby Banco etc; Spiritual bonkerness Loop Gs; Reggae Zion T, Bob M, Tiken Jah etc; dub sly n robbie and mr tubby, Guitars and Funk Chillie Peppers, Chameleons, Julian Cope; Brian Eno and Roxy Music; etc etc can't be bothered to type any more! ambient eno. and anything that fuses new or makes my hair stand on end or grabs my soul and rocks it or good powerful healing
Sounds Like
God knows! My own stuff - dreams, thoughts, feels and moves, etc put in a blender unconsciously with the above influences, added and then mixed into another form etc etc
Invisible System present a fusion album of Ethiopian, dub, dance, rock, drum & bass, psychedelia, electronica & live music.Traditional vocals & instruments meet the modern, electronic and brass. Recorded in Ethiopia. Live Europeans meet live Ethiopians!
Guests include:
Mahmoud Ahmed & Bahta Gebrehiwot (Ethiopiques)
Hilaire Chabby (Baba Maal)
Justin Adams (Robert Plant & Strange Sensation, ex-Jah Wobble’s Invaders)
Tsedenia G.Markos, Mimi, Terermeg, Feleke, Desta, Tewabe & Sami (Ethiopians post this album signed to Realworld Records as Dub Colossus)
Joie Hinton (ex-Eat Static & Ozric Tentacles / Here and Now / IGV)
Martin Cradick (Baka Beyond/ex-Outback)
Captain Sensible (The Damned)
Ed Wynne (Ozric Tentacles / Noden Inctus)
Simon Hinkler (The Mission)
Dubulah (Transglobal Underground, Temple of Sound, Natasha Atlas)
Perch (Zion Train)
Juldeh Camara (Justin Adams, Realworld)
Elmer Thudd (Loop Guru)
Gary Woodhouse (The Rhythmites)
Boswell / Warp (Junkwaffle & Bristol Graffiti Artist - Los Mutartis)
A brief run-down with the most recent reviews (more to come e.g. Uncut, The Word, Q etc):
5 star reviews e.g. Financial Times and www.LAsThePlace.com
4 star reviews e.g. Rock N Reel / R2 Magazine, World Music Network, www.allmusic.com etc
‘sturdy Ethiopian vocals are matched against backing that veers from wailing
psychedelic rock to trance, trip-hop and dub, it's an impressive achievement.’
- The Guardian, Robin Denselow
'New rave goes global. The rave crowd may love such deranged energy.' - Uncut, Nigel Williamson
‘some of the album’s tracks have a brooding intensity which make them as
compelling as anything I’ve heard this year ‘- Songlines, Howard Male
‘you can imagine this becoming a mind blowing rave classic, pushing the envelope
beyond Ethiopqiues nostalgia.’ - MOJO, David Hutchenson
‘there are moments of electrifying mystique’ - Fly Global, Tim Woodall
’there's a pleasing headiness to its rough charm’ - The Independent, Andy Gill
‘a startlingly original combination of Ethiopian roots and pop with dub, electronica
and psychedelic rock’ - fRoots, Jamie Renton
‘this wonderfully strange and slightly otherworldly album’ refuses resolutely to be pigeon holed. One of the most startlingly original musical adventures of the year giving a whole new meaning to the term ‘fusion music’. - R2 / rock N Reel, Dave Haslam
‘like an exotic mythology flung into outer space‘ - World Music Network, TJ Nelson
‘an unhinged sense that anything could happen, it grows with each listen’ - fRoots, Jamie Renton
‘It’s an album that, to its credit, solidly defies easy description. It needs to be heard several times and each reveals a new delight’ - AllMusic.com, Chris Nickson
‘Each time you hear the songs, you hear something different as this will be the longevity of this world class fusion CD’ - LAsThePlace.com, Los Angeles
'The DIY feel of the arrangements suits the brooding other-wroldliness of the Ethiopian vocals far better than many more expensive productions.' - The Telegraph, Mark Hudson
'I encourage everyone to check it out, but not try to capture it..just feel it.' - Max Benkole Jarrett, BBC World Service
‘Brings together a fine mix of musicians to create a festive-sounding album recorded in Ethiopia’ – New Internationalist
Purchase direct via www.harperdiabate.com else e.g. www.amazon.co.uk, www.hmv.com, www.play.com, www.itunes.com and many specialist record shops if you google
Live Review
A recent review wrote : HYPERLINK "http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/18360" ..t "_blank" http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/18360
Posted on Tuesday 20 May 2008 - 06:27
Congratulations to the organizers of the 7th Ethiopian Music Festival, which was a resounding success and brought great sounds to Addis Abeba. The only show I caught, due to overload, was Dan Harper. His work is astounding, bringing together house/techno beats both slow and fast with beautiful Ethiopian singers singing traditional songs and melodies to ride over his beats. World fusion taken to another level and maybe another musical revolution in the making? Definitely a memorable night.
Founder Dan Harper from nr Bath/Box/Frome moved up north, to Brighton, to Brixton, to Mali, to Ethiopia (as an aid worker), and back to Somerset clocking up many members and sounds and a growing and moving studio base.
Mixing Ethiopian, dance, psy, trance, rock, funk, world, dub, reggae, dnb etc with African vocalists and traditional instruments. Remixes done for Zion Train, Jesus Jones, Baka Beyond etc; writing for Suns of Arqa, and collaborations with some of the bands below e.g. Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara, Ozric Tentacles, Mahmoud Ahmed, Ethiopqiues, Dubulah, Simon Hinkler (The Mission), Captain Sensible, Hilaire Chabby (Baba Maal), Elmer Thudd (Loop Guru), Eat Static, Zion Train, Temple of Sound, Gary & Dennis (The Rhythmites) etc etc.
I also put together Dub Colossus after inviting Nick Page / Dubulah out to Ethiopia to link him with the artists I was working with and to use my house and studio, we recorded the Ethiopian end there before Realworld took the project on. We had one co-write on the BBC's Long Way Down with Ewan McGregor (Realworld). Invisible System, Punt (Made In Ethiopia) album just released on Harper Diabate Records - radio play started e.g. DJ Pathaan, BBC Late Junction/Asian Net/World Service etc, New Zealand Radio, many in the USA and Europe.
Receiving incredible reviews e.g. only album to get 5 stars that week in the Financial Times, top ten of best new albums after in The Independent, great review and full article in fROOTS mag, 4/5 review in Rock N Reel magazine, fantastic reviews in e.g. World Music Network, Fly Global etc, reviews emerging in e.g. Songlines and Mojo etc.
Live gigs to come this year just finishing off live more jam / reggae / dub / dance / dnb set with Dennis from the Rhythmites on vox/mc with an album there near completed as well. More Ethiopian and rasta fusion albums also on the hard drives. Next playing Thimbleberry Festival in September.
I am also reviewing gear and producing samples for Future and Computer Music; teaching music tech; managing youth music/art/social development programmes etc inbetween some live engineering and marketing my own microphones and album/label (www.harperdiabate.com) - the microphones also getting great reviews from e.g. Paul White at Sound on Sound and endorsed by e.g. The Cure's producer Paul Corkette.
All demos on here - to finish - more coming onto www.invisiblesystem.com when I can find a bit of time.
There is also an Invisible System facebook Group and facebook Page with info and free tunes etc (e.g. also see Six Degrees Records blog for free downloads). Is also a Harper Diabate Group for the label and microphones.
How are you, Invisible System? Haven't checked in on you lately, so I swung by to wish you a happy September & hope you are feeling well! Listen, I have another track up on my page, "Attack Of The Mushroom People." You can hear it right now, if you'd like at: www.myspace.com/psychedelicpablo adios for now! Pablo
Nice have met you at WOMAD Dan! Thanks for the CD, Loved it! played it through twice while editing womad pics. Glad you found your car ok. Best wishes ... Al
Greetings......episode 10 of the Secret Archives of the Vatican podcast Ever so Moorish! is now available for download, featuring interviews with DJ U-cef and DJ UMB of Generation Bass as well as music from the Talking Dog, Darga, U-Cef, Ges-E and Sukh Knight and Threnody.
Invisible System Album, Punt : Made in Ethiopia is out at last! Got my copies yesterday, amazon.com and play.com have it as do specialist and underground record shops - enjoy have a listen and spread the word - dna
Hi Dan. Nice one mate. Cheers for the add & being a friend. Sounds like your one hell of a busy person. Take care & keep chilled. Peace, Love & Unity. RAB :-)
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