![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Azmari-Copy-of-DSC05001-copy-2-1010x673.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nEven as the growing influence of western musical styles and instruments threatened their customs with extinction, Azmari musicians managed to forge new cultural spaces for themselves throughout the second half of the 20th century up until today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Artists like Bahru Q\u00e4\u00f1\u00f1\u00e9 and Yerga Dubal\u00e4 were among the first to record Azmari music onto cassettes and records, making space for themselves in the recorded music market. Asnaketch Worku, Ethiopia\u2019s first theatre actress and gifted krar player enjoyed national acclaim throughout her career. The 1970s saw the advent of privately owned bars called Azmari Bet where strictly Azmari artists perform cabaret style in front of dining customers. There are still many such Azamari bets active today, albeit fewer in number, providing consistent work for the dwindling number of urban Azmariwoc who also find employment as entertainers during traditional festivals and ceremonies or theatrical performances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ethiopian Records and the emergence of Ethiopiyawi electronic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Music producer Endeguena Mulu is a testament to the resilience of Azmari tradition, which is the foundation of his creative practice and the genre that spawned from it, Ethiopiyawi Electronic<\/em>. Known by his stage name, Ethiopian Records, Mulu is a self-proclaimed \u201celectronic Azmari,\u201d concerned with preserving indigenous musical practices, experimentation, and creating space for alternative approaches to creativity, life, and social organisation at large to flourish; particularly in Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Mulu, the essence of Ethiopiyawi Electronic lies not just in the music itself (as is the case with most genres) but in the process behind its creation. In his own words, \u201cEthiopiyawi Electronic is a genre that uses electronic music tools, traditional East African and African music in general as a medium of expression to reflect a musical East African perspective on the human experience.<\/em>\u201d This genre, characterized by an interplay of indigenous sounds and modern digital techniques, focuses heavily on research, community engagement, and a deep cultural respect for tradition. Mulu emphasizes that for him, \u201cresearch and continuous self-education are integral to my growth as an artist and the growth of my work.<\/em>\u201d This philosophy fuels the heart of Ethiopiyawi Electronic and mirrors the ethos of the Azmari\u2014both a creator and a critic of societal norms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is in this process that the true essence of Ethiopiyawi Electronic is revealed; in the discovery and re-contextualization of indigenous sounds, dialogue with contemporaries about shared heritage, readings of old texts, sessions with traditional instrumentalists, singers, and craftsmen. It honours and preserves indigenous knowledge and practices and presents a uniquely East African musical perspective that stands independent of the mainstream culture machine. Much like the Azmariwoch who utilized music to reflect on the socio-political climate, Mulu\u2019s work also delves into social critique. \u201cThe one topic I always feel compelled to comment on is the carelessness shaping this violent, globalized mainstream,<\/em>\u201d he explains. Mulu\u2019s music resists the \u201cpartitioning\u201d of cultures into simplistic, commodified silos, something that\u2019s evident in both his process and his critique of the global music industry, which he believes devalues artistic creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As an “Electronic Azmari,” Mulu\u2019s work honors the legacy of traditional Azmariwoch while using technology to reimagine it. His sound, lush with polyrhythmic percussion, atmospheric synths, and vocal samples is the backbone of the genre. Over the years, Mulu has released a handful of highly impactful projects, including his 2019 EP Ye Feqer Edaye<\/a><\/em>, each one reflecting his evolving musical world that bridges traditional Ethiopian sounds with global electronic elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mulu is also the founder and leader of a band called Azmari Synthesis, which sees him conduct a cohort of western and traditional Ethiopian instrumentalists and vocalists from Ableton Live on his laptop. While yet to release any original stand-alone studio recordings, their live performances\u2014often streamed on Ethiopian Records’ YouTube\u2014highlight the intersection of Mulu\u2019s digital work with live, organic sounds. This synthesis of cultures and technologies is at the core of Ethiopiyawi Electronic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through this multi-disciplinary work, Mulu has established himself as an elder statesman in Addis\u2019 electronic music scene, creating fostering a more supportive environment for independent artists, and having galvanized a community of other Ethiopiyawi artists like Mikael Seifu, Nerliv, and Dotphic, who are building on his work, conducting their own sonic and anthropological experiments and adding to the genre\u2019s sonic palette. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Boiler Room x Ethiopian Records: Addis Ababa<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In October 2024, Mulu\u2019s contributions to Ethiopiyawi Electronic and to Addis\u2019 electronic scene reached an exciting new milestone when he collaborated with Boiler Room as part of their 10th annual Broadcast Lab call-out. Each year for the last decade, Boiler Room issues an open call to musicians, collectives, and curators across the globe to pitch live events and projects to be streamed across Boiler Room\u2019s platforms. The aim is to platform emergent scenes and underrepresented artists and communities. As last 2024\u2019s winner, Mulu took the chance to spotlight the community at the centre of his work. Ethiopiyawi Electronic, Ethio-Jazz, and Azmari music were all on full display. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ER-Copy-of-DSC05464-copy-1010x673.jpg\")
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