Loads more reviews, BBC, New York Times etc links below. All great. Also join us on our band / musician facebook page here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Invisible-System/46460854245
myspace here:
http://www.myspace.com/invisiblesystem
twitter here
http://www.twitter.com/invisiblesystem
and blogger!
http://www.blogger.com/profile/17998515052672960465
we even have a youtube and vimeo hardly used but some rough footage on there!
http://www.youtube.com/user/danieleonharper
http://vimeo.com/invisiblesystem
Reviews
http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/mcpn
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/arts/music/cds-from-alison-krauss-colin-stetson-and-dennis-coffey.html?scp=1&sq=street%20clan&st=cse
http://lastheplace.com/2011/03/25/invisible-system-takes-world-fusion-music-to-a-new-level-with-new-cd-street-clan/
http://worldmusiccentral.org/2011/04/17/whopping-crossbreed-of-genres/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/cdreviews/8438445/Invisible-System-Street-Clan-CD-review.html
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/6f27a360-5e6b-11e0-b1d8-00144feab49a.html
etc
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150175513011017&comments Some footage of original Ethiopian recordings for the albums at my home/studio i
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150175513011017&comments
Some footage of original Ethiopian recordings for the albums at my home/studio in Addis to track 3 'Zedanmer' off new Invisible System album, Street Clan. Our new Ethiopian vocalist/front woman Zewditu Yohannes Tadesse at the end of the video dancing (and singing on track). Guest on this one with me Merv from Eat Static.
Some footage of original Ethiopian recordings for the albums at my home/studio in Addis to track 3 'Zedanmer' off new Invisible System album, Street Clan. Our new Ethiopian vocalist/front woman Zewditu Yohannes Tadesse at the end of the video dancing (and singing on track). Guest on this one with me Merv from Eat Static.
Sunday, 24 April 2011
"More wild, frantic and unexpected than its well-received predecessor. " Robin Denselow 2011-04-21 It’s impossible not to admire Dan Harper. Until f
"More wild, frantic and unexpected than its well-received predecessor. "
Robin Denselow 2011-04-21
It’s impossible not to admire Dan Harper. Until five years ago, he was an aid worker in Ethiopia, where he not only became fascinated by the country’s remarkable music scene but built his own studio in Addis Ababa and managed to persuade leading local artists to record with him. He also invited producer and bassist Nick Page, also known as Count Dubulah, out to Ethiopia and introduced him to his musical friends; as a result, Page formed his highly successful Ethiopian fusion band Dub Colossus.
Once he returned to England, where he now works as an unconventional music teacher in the West Country, Harper continued work on a fusion project of his own. He persuaded an impressive selection of British musicians to add their contributions to his Ethiopian recordings, and the result was the album Punt, credited to a band Harper called Invisible System. It included a remarkable cast, from the legendary Ethiopian singer Mahmoud Ahmed through to punk hero Captain Sensible, guitarist Justin Adams and Count Dubulah; the results veered from African styles to psychedelic rock, trip-hop and dub. Although this was originally something of an obscure DIY release, Harper managed to bring his work to national attention, and won impressive reviews.
Since then, the two Ethiopian fusion experiments have continued. Dub Colossus, now a rousing live band rather than merely a studio project, have a new album of Ethio-jazz and reggae fusions, Addis Through the Looking Glass, while Invisible System have a very different second set, Street Clan.
Once again, the album is based around recordings that Harper made in Africa – this time in Mali as well as Ethiopia – to which he adds his own guitar, bass, synth programming, percussion and production work. Then there are contributions from a new set of Western musicians, including the great American guitarist Skip McDonald, Adrian Utley from Portishead, Stuart Fisher (who has worked with Courtney Love), and members of psychedelic hippie heroes Ozric Tentacles. Then there’s Jamaican singer Dennis Wint, who Harper met in the Somerset town of Frome, where he lives and works.
Street Clan is even more wild, frantic and unexpected than Punt, with sections that work brilliantly and tracks where Ethiopian vocals are surrounded by a blitz of thrash guitar and percussion, results ranging from exhilarating to messy. The best tracks come towards the end, where the emphasis shifts from the clash of African vocals with full-tilt Western guitars, through to more conventional dub reggae. There’s still an African edge to Teenage Lion and Broken Heart, thanks to the vocal work from Zewditu Tadesse; but Wint dominates the songs with an energy and style that makes him sound like an unlikely male answer to early Patti Smith.
Robin Denselow 2011-04-21
It’s impossible not to admire Dan Harper. Until five years ago, he was an aid worker in Ethiopia, where he not only became fascinated by the country’s remarkable music scene but built his own studio in Addis Ababa and managed to persuade leading local artists to record with him. He also invited producer and bassist Nick Page, also known as Count Dubulah, out to Ethiopia and introduced him to his musical friends; as a result, Page formed his highly successful Ethiopian fusion band Dub Colossus.
Once he returned to England, where he now works as an unconventional music teacher in the West Country, Harper continued work on a fusion project of his own. He persuaded an impressive selection of British musicians to add their contributions to his Ethiopian recordings, and the result was the album Punt, credited to a band Harper called Invisible System. It included a remarkable cast, from the legendary Ethiopian singer Mahmoud Ahmed through to punk hero Captain Sensible, guitarist Justin Adams and Count Dubulah; the results veered from African styles to psychedelic rock, trip-hop and dub. Although this was originally something of an obscure DIY release, Harper managed to bring his work to national attention, and won impressive reviews.
Since then, the two Ethiopian fusion experiments have continued. Dub Colossus, now a rousing live band rather than merely a studio project, have a new album of Ethio-jazz and reggae fusions, Addis Through the Looking Glass, while Invisible System have a very different second set, Street Clan.
Once again, the album is based around recordings that Harper made in Africa – this time in Mali as well as Ethiopia – to which he adds his own guitar, bass, synth programming, percussion and production work. Then there are contributions from a new set of Western musicians, including the great American guitarist Skip McDonald, Adrian Utley from Portishead, Stuart Fisher (who has worked with Courtney Love), and members of psychedelic hippie heroes Ozric Tentacles. Then there’s Jamaican singer Dennis Wint, who Harper met in the Somerset town of Frome, where he lives and works.
Street Clan is even more wild, frantic and unexpected than Punt, with sections that work brilliantly and tracks where Ethiopian vocals are surrounded by a blitz of thrash guitar and percussion, results ranging from exhilarating to messy. The best tracks come towards the end, where the emphasis shifts from the clash of African vocals with full-tilt Western guitars, through to more conventional dub reggae. There’s still an African edge to Teenage Lion and Broken Heart, thanks to the vocal work from Zewditu Tadesse; but Wint dominates the songs with an energy and style that makes him sound like an unlikely male answer to early Patti Smith.
Back from camping in Wales to a great BBC album review :) http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/mcpn
Back from camping in Wales to a great BBC album review :)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/mcpn
http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/mcpn
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Another new USA review! world music central
Whopping Crossbreed of Genres
By
TJNelson
– April 17, 2011Posted in: CD Reviews
Invisible System - Street Clan
Invisible System
Street Clan (Harper Diabate Records, 2011)
Following up on their Songlines World Music Award Best Newcomer nominated CD Punt (Made in Ethopia), Invisible System, headed up by Dan Harper, is back with their sophomore recording Street Clan. Recorded in Ethiopia, Mali and the United Kingdom on Mr. Harper’s off time from his gig as an aid worker, Street Clan is another fantastical ride with guest appearances by Portishead’s Adrian Utley, Skip McDonald, Eat Static and The Ozirc Tentacles and percussionist Stuart Fisher. Delving into a razor-sharp otherworldliness, Invisible System tumbles headlong into an edgy course filled with plenty of twists and turns.
Packed with 17 tracks, Street Clan is a whopping crossbreed of genres, covering the map from dance to dub to reggae to rock to post-punk and to psychedelia. With such a daunting cornucopia of sounds and divergent directions, I wonder if perhaps it wouldn’t have been wiser to break up the tracks into two different recordings.
Personally, I found some of the post-punk, thrash tracks a little discordant with the overall sound. It’s one of those things where you have an idea of where the artist is going, but you’re not sure you want to follow. Listeners shouldn’t be discouraged because there are some excellent tracks on Street Clan.
Invisible System’s vocalist Zewditu Tadesse hits the mark on opening track “Tizita” against an eerie background of electronic, shadowy guitar and clever percussion. Equally good is the track “Ambassel” with Mimi’s Azmari traditional band and backed by some slick guitar licks. Dipping into the edgy, “Bone Flaps” is all guitar fire, drums, bass and Zewditu’s vocals in a sort of African punk homage.
Standout gems include the trippy reggae tinged “Woman’s Love,” the electronica charged “Live Up to Love” that screams trance joy and the hypnotic “Oumabetty” with its mix of rhythms, mournful sax lines and liquid vocals. “Teenage Lion” gets a jacked up treatment by Invisible System’s vocalists Zewditu Tadesse and the husky voiced Dennis Wint against a sway-backed reggae beat that pulses with sheer goodness.
Street Clan is akin some wild and wonderful underground cave club where the musical colors keep shifting and you just can’t help jumping into the very center.
Buy the album:
In North America: Street Clan. Other recordings available: Punt
In Europe: Street Clan. Other recordings available: Punt
By
TJNelson
– April 17, 2011Posted in: CD Reviews
Invisible System - Street Clan
Invisible System
Street Clan (Harper Diabate Records, 2011)
Following up on their Songlines World Music Award Best Newcomer nominated CD Punt (Made in Ethopia), Invisible System, headed up by Dan Harper, is back with their sophomore recording Street Clan. Recorded in Ethiopia, Mali and the United Kingdom on Mr. Harper’s off time from his gig as an aid worker, Street Clan is another fantastical ride with guest appearances by Portishead’s Adrian Utley, Skip McDonald, Eat Static and The Ozirc Tentacles and percussionist Stuart Fisher. Delving into a razor-sharp otherworldliness, Invisible System tumbles headlong into an edgy course filled with plenty of twists and turns.
Packed with 17 tracks, Street Clan is a whopping crossbreed of genres, covering the map from dance to dub to reggae to rock to post-punk and to psychedelia. With such a daunting cornucopia of sounds and divergent directions, I wonder if perhaps it wouldn’t have been wiser to break up the tracks into two different recordings.
Personally, I found some of the post-punk, thrash tracks a little discordant with the overall sound. It’s one of those things where you have an idea of where the artist is going, but you’re not sure you want to follow. Listeners shouldn’t be discouraged because there are some excellent tracks on Street Clan.
Invisible System’s vocalist Zewditu Tadesse hits the mark on opening track “Tizita” against an eerie background of electronic, shadowy guitar and clever percussion. Equally good is the track “Ambassel” with Mimi’s Azmari traditional band and backed by some slick guitar licks. Dipping into the edgy, “Bone Flaps” is all guitar fire, drums, bass and Zewditu’s vocals in a sort of African punk homage.
Standout gems include the trippy reggae tinged “Woman’s Love,” the electronica charged “Live Up to Love” that screams trance joy and the hypnotic “Oumabetty” with its mix of rhythms, mournful sax lines and liquid vocals. “Teenage Lion” gets a jacked up treatment by Invisible System’s vocalists Zewditu Tadesse and the husky voiced Dennis Wint against a sway-backed reggae beat that pulses with sheer goodness.
Street Clan is akin some wild and wonderful underground cave club where the musical colors keep shifting and you just can’t help jumping into the very center.
Buy the album:
In North America: Street Clan. Other recordings available: Punt
In Europe: Street Clan. Other recordings available: Punt
Friday, 15 April 2011
Cracking review for new album in The New York Times:) Invisible System : Street Clan http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/arts/music/cds-from-alison-kra
Cracking review for new album in The New York Times:)
Invisible System : Street Clan
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/arts/music/cds-from-alison-krauss-colin-stetson-and-dennis-coffey.htmlInvisible System
As an aid worker in Ethiopia and Mali, Dan Harper started recording local singers and bands. Then, as a musical project he called Invisible System, he started tinkering — extensively and transformatively — with what he collected, playing guitar, bass and synthesizers and adding collaborators. On Invisible System’s second album, “Street Clan” (Harper Diabate), the African sounds are melded with mean metal riffs, funk bass lines, dance beats, psychedelic guitar jams, dub-style echoes, the righteous declamations of a Jamaican-British reggae singer (Dennis Wint) and more. It’s a latter-day, more chopped up, more aggressive follow-through on the ideas of “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.” The roiling results have some of the volatility of the Mars Volta and Jimi Hendrix and the implacability of Lee Scratch Perry. The reggae honors the Rastafarian tenet of a return to Ethiopia, although it sometimes tilts toward cliché. But the Ethiopian singers — Zewditu Tadesse, Tawebe and Mimi — are all grabbers: raspy and passionate, their voices leaping out of the tracks.
Invisible System : Street Clan
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/arts/music/cds-from-alison-krauss-colin-stetson-and-dennis-coffey.htmlInvisible System
As an aid worker in Ethiopia and Mali, Dan Harper started recording local singers and bands. Then, as a musical project he called Invisible System, he started tinkering — extensively and transformatively — with what he collected, playing guitar, bass and synthesizers and adding collaborators. On Invisible System’s second album, “Street Clan” (Harper Diabate), the African sounds are melded with mean metal riffs, funk bass lines, dance beats, psychedelic guitar jams, dub-style echoes, the righteous declamations of a Jamaican-British reggae singer (Dennis Wint) and more. It’s a latter-day, more chopped up, more aggressive follow-through on the ideas of “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.” The roiling results have some of the volatility of the Mars Volta and Jimi Hendrix and the implacability of Lee Scratch Perry. The reggae honors the Rastafarian tenet of a return to Ethiopia, although it sometimes tilts toward cliché. But the Ethiopian singers — Zewditu Tadesse, Tawebe and Mimi — are all grabbers: raspy and passionate, their voices leaping out of the tracks.
After neglecting myspace for years I just worked out how to use the new version and updated with 3 tracks off new album - enjoy:)
After neglecting myspace for years I just worked out how to use the new version and updated with 3 tracks off new album - enjoy:)
It's UKs Independent Record Store Day tomorrow. Get out there and support our struggling stores;) You can buy our new album whilst your at it:) In jus
It's UKs Independent Record Store Day tomorrow. Get out there and support our struggling stores;) You can buy our new album whilst your at it:) In just about all indie CD stores in the UK and some of the majors
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Just got 4 stars in Financial Times here and R2 / Rock n Reel mag and 5 stars from LAs The Place + this is The Telegraph :) Mixing dark-toned Ethiopi
Just got 4 stars in Financial Times here and R2 / Rock n Reel mag and 5 stars from LAs The Place + this is The Telegraph :)
Mixing dark-toned Ethiopian folk sounds with West Country hippy electronica, this enterprising DIY production draws in contributions from British indie players from Portishead to On-U-Sound System. Touches of Krautrock, dubstep and a certain raw, informal drive make this one of the more interesting of many projects inspired by the great Ethiopiques series.
Invisible system
Street Clan
Mixing dark-toned Ethiopian folk sounds with West Country hippy electronica, this enterprising DIY production draws in contributions from British indie players from Portishead to On-U-Sound System. Touches of Krautrock, dubstep and a certain raw, informal drive make this one of the more interesting of many projects inspired by the great Ethiopiques series.
Invisible system
Street Clan
Invisible System on BBC3 Late Junction tonight! May cheer me up after landing back in the UK to rain and greyness, TAKE ME BACK SOUTH!!! :)
Invisible System on BBC3 Late Junction tonight! May cheer me up after landing back in the UK to rain and greyness, TAKE ME BACK SOUTH!!! :)
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
Monday, 4 April 2011
Invisible System's Street Clan on BBC Radio 3's Late Junction programme (www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/latejunction) on Wednesday 13 April
Invisible System's Street Clan on BBC Radio 3's Late Junction programme (www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/latejunction) on Wednesday 13 April
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