Invisible System - Punt (Made in Ethiopia)

Got to admit I never really understood why people wanted to DJ but after being asked here http://www.beinghuman.com/home__.html with 15mins warning to do it after Jamie from 1 giant leap performing a heart acoustic set upstairs I enjoyed meeting some great people without worrying about band, guitar, synth, mixer, feedback and lyrics and joy for all there . And I didn't beat match a thing;)

2012-01-28T16:31:00.001-08:00

Got to admit I never really understood why people wanted to DJ but after being asked here http://www.beinghuman.com/home__.html with 15mins warning to do it after Jamie from 1 giant leap performing a heart acoustic set upstairs I enjoyed meeting some great people without worrying about band, guitar, synth, mixer, feedback and lyrics and joy for all there . And I didn't beat match a thing;)

please vote before tues for us

2012-01-27T20:24:00.001-08:00

If anyone would care to vote for us before Jan 31st as an independent unit with no budget we would love you! (and give you some music via download:)http://www.songlines.co.uk/phpQ/fillsurvey.php?sid=9Under the name Invisible System for the album Street Clan under both Cross cultural Collaboration and Best Group. Skip McDonald, Portishead, Ozrics, Eat Static etc on this one and loads of great Ethiopian and Jamaican vocalists and players.Click the link, vote then either click confirmation link sent to your email or enter the verification code emailed to you.For the other two categories pick someone you recognise else our ex-student James Findlay for his debut album!The first album I wrote under the name Invisible System : Punt (Made in Ethiopia) made it to the finals as best newcomer a couple of years back. That had Captain Sensible, The Missions Simon Hinkler, Eat Static, Zion Train, Mahmoud Ahmed etc guesting and it was a nice result for an indie with some major labels and artists in the run who can work full time on it all.Many thanks to all.

This man has taste!! http://www.villagevoice.com/pazznjop/critics/2011/686063/

2012-01-25T13:32:00.001-08:00

This man has taste!!
http://www.villagevoice.com/pazznjop/critics/2011/686063/

Last week to vote us into Songlines World Music Awards 2012

2012-01-24T13:26:00.000-08:00

Vote link below for last years Invisible System album Street Clan under best cross collaboration and under best band thanks:) Deadline this week

http://www.songlines.co.uk/phpQ/fillsurvey.php?sid=9

Some tunes of ours all over youtube, spotify myspace, facebook, www.invisiblesystem.com

Up against some major labels and artists again so appreciated:)

http://soundcloud.com/invisible-system/mama-yey-psy-dub

2012-01-23T14:56:00.001-08:00

http://soundcloud.com/invisible-system/mama-yey-psy-dub

New radio episode up tonight 10pm http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-presenters/153-Dan%20Harper

2012-01-23T13:28:00.001-08:00

New radio episode up tonight 10pm
http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-presenters/153-Dan%20Harper

Invisible System: The Cauldron By David Honigmann : The Financial Times An overflow of every possible form of music Invisible System’s cauldron is overflowing with what at times feels like scraps of every possible form of music. The best thing here is “Mama Yey”, on which Sydney Salmon sings a lazy Lover’s Rock tribute to Ethiopia before the song ends with Zewditu Tadesse’s voice orbiting amid tiny pinpricks of harp. Elsewhere, “Coven” throbs with grungy guitars, and “Azmari Fuse” burns up in a blaze of rhythm. Invisible System The Cauldron (Harper Diabate) Invisible System: The Cauldron - FT.com www.ft.com Invisible System’s cauldron is overflowing with what at times feels like scraps of every possible form of music. The best thing here is “Mama Yey”, on which Sydney Salmon sings a lazy Lover’s Rock tribute to Ethiopia before the song ends with

2012-01-15T09:55:00.001-08:00

Invisible System: The Cauldron
By David Honigmann : The Financial Times
An overflow of every possible form of music

Invisible System’s cauldron is overflowing with what at times feels like scraps of every possible form of music. The best thing here is “Mama Yey”, on which Sydney Salmon sings a lazy Lover’s Rock tribute to Ethiopia before the song ends with Zewditu Tadesse’s voice orbiting amid tiny pinpricks of harp. Elsewhere, “Coven” throbs with grungy guitars, and “Azmari Fuse” burns up in a blaze of rhythm.
Invisible System
The Cauldron
(Harper Diabate)

Invisible System: The Cauldron - FT.com
www.ft.com
Invisible System’s cauldron is overflowing with what at times feels like scraps of every possible form of music. The best thing here is “Mama Yey”, on which Sydney Salmon sings a lazy Lover’s Rock tribute to Ethiopia before the song ends with

http://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/UndNQK-2eks

2012-01-15T04:47:00.001-08:00

http://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/UndNQK-2eks

1 track off new E.P. on radio6music again tonight :) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0198kgj#segments

2012-01-12T16:26:00.001-08:00

1 track off new E.P. on radio6music again tonight :)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0198kgj#segments

New world vision should be on tonight 11pm, recorded today http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-presenters/153-Dan%20Harper

2012-01-12T10:51:00.001-08:00

New world vision should be on tonight 11pm, recorded today http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-presenters/153-Dan%20Harper

low key E.P. release but out now and reviews in the financial times this weekend http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/34e99e2a-35a1-11e1-84b9-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1jAyToniA

2012-01-11T10:39:00.001-08:00

low key E.P. release but out now and reviews in the financial times this weekend http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/34e99e2a-35a1-11e1-84b9-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1jAyToniA

Please vote for us Songlines Music Awards 2012

2012-01-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

If you can spare a minute to help with a vote here

http://www.songlines.co.uk/phpQ/fillsurvey.php?sid=9

For me under the name Invisible System for the album Street Clan under both Cross cultural Collaboration and Best Group I would be very grateful and can offer free downloads of the album in return.

Click the link, vote then either click confirmation link sent to your email or enter the verification code emailed to you.

For the other two categories pick someone you recognise else random!

The first album I wrote under the name Invisible System : Punt (Made in Ethiopia) made it to the finals as best newcomer a couple of years back and helped me with promotion.

As an independent artist on my own label I am again up against the giants such as Peter Gabriel's Realworld Records and other majors with huge budgets and artists who can work full time on their projects.

So it is tough to survive as they are somewhat unfair and like pitbulls!

Many thanks to all.

Best
Dan

listen again to some great music including Invisible System on Italian national radio from last night, good selection of regge and dub etc http://www.radio3.rai.it/dl/radio3/programmi/puntata/ContentItem-e0f79806-35ad-4e8c-ab34-2ca4d328d27a.html

2012-01-04T12:58:00.001-08:00

listen again to some great music including Invisible System on Italian national radio from last night, good selection of regge and dub etc http://www.radio3.rai.it/dl/radio3/programmi/puntata/ContentItem-e0f79806-35ad-4e8c-ab34-2ca4d328d27a.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UndNQK-2eks&feature=youtu.be

2011-12-19T09:47:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UndNQK-2eks&feature=youtu.be

Xmas edition of World Vision on tonight FM and online 10pm, some reggae, some post punk, some 60s from a band I recorded in the studio, and some new Invisible System tracks amongst others.... http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-presenters/153-Dan%20Harper

2011-12-19T04:05:00.001-08:00

Xmas edition of World Vision on tonight FM and online 10pm, some reggae, some post punk, some 60s from a band I recorded in the studio, and some new Invisible System tracks amongst others.... http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-presenters/153-Dan%20Harper

new EP links, bbc iplayer etc

2011-12-16T14:54:00.001-08:00

Catch a snippet of new EP, you can't buy it yet mind! http://www.amazon.com/Cauldron-P-feat-Dan-Harper/dp/B006LXRMKQ/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1324063739&sr=1-5

Or hear full version 2 days left (BBC6music radio bass reduced n compressed!) of Mama Yey off EP featuring Sydney Salmon from Shashemene Ethiopia and Zewditu from Ethiopiques on vocals. Other tracks include Merv from Eat Static/Ozrics and Stu from Courtney Love/Hole, Dennis Wint on vocals and Mimi from Ethiopia who we since signed to realworld

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0184rwt#segments

Grab a listen to first public play of track off new Invisible System EP, all tracks very different, bbc6muisc with gid coe first up with the more dub reg one...http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0184rwt#segments

2011-12-14T15:19:00.001-08:00

Grab a listen to first public play of track off new Invisible System EP, all tracks very different, bbc6muisc with gid coe first up with the more dub reg one...http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0184rwt#segments

forgot about soundcloud after using mixcloud for radio http://soundcloud.com/invisible-system

2011-11-30T15:10:00.001-08:00

forgot about soundcloud after using mixcloud for radio http://soundcloud.com/invisible-system

New E.P. out Jan 2012

2011-11-26T15:15:00.001-08:00

New E.P. out Jan 2012

played some post punk/goth stuff e.g. skeletal and ghost and anne m new album and some of simon hinklers solo on tonights show, must get some of your tunes to get on there soon got some old but shout if you can send any new stuff etc : D Ok I got around to making the new world vision radio programme, on 10pm tonight 97.5fm local and link below, post punk/goth (local and global) and local blues bands from my studio this week - repeated next week mon and thurs 10pm http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-presenters/153-Dan%20Harper played some skeletal and ghost and anne m new album and gave you a mention on tonights....D Ok I got around to making the new world vision radio programme, on 10pm tonight 97.5fm local and link below, post punk/goth (local and global) and local blues bands from my studio this week - repeated next week mon and thurs 10pm http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-presenters/153-Dan%20Harper

2011-11-24T10:20:00.001-08:00

played some post punk/goth stuff e.g. skeletal and ghost and anne m new album and some of simon hinklers solo on tonights show, must get some of your tunes to get on there soon got some old but shout if you can send any new stuff etc : D

Ok I got around to making the new world vision radio programme, on 10pm tonight 97.5fm local and link below, post punk/goth (local and global) and local blues bands from my studio this week - repeated next week mon and thurs 10pm

http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-presenters/153-Dan%20Harper

played some skeletal and ghost and anne m new album and gave you a mention on tonights....D

Ok I got around to making the new world vision radio programme, on 10pm tonight 97.5fm local and link below, post punk/goth (local and global) and local blues bands from my studio this week - repeated next week mon and thurs 10pm

http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-presenters/153-Dan%20Harper

News The Couldron E.P. to be released soon. Download only (lossless audio or mp3). We have caught up with the modern age! An EP of psy dub reggae, ethiopian post punk rock grunge, traditional fusion and jamiacan acid pop to be enjoyed over xmas.

2011-11-08T14:45:00.001-08:00

News

The Couldron E.P. to be released soon. Download only (lossless audio or mp3). We have caught up with the modern age! An EP of psy dub reggae, ethiopian post punk rock grunge, traditional fusion and jamiacan acid pop to be enjoyed over xmas.

Coven EP

2011-11-06T15:27:00.001-08:00

Will be releasing an Xmas digital download only EP, too many tracks that didn't go onto the last 2 albums to let flush / float away! Coven is the name of the EP RIP EP!

Writhlington Studios

2011-11-04T04:03:00.001-07:00

www.writhlingtonstudios.co.uk this is the studio I run commercially (as well as teach diploma in) out for hire for recording, mixing, mastering etc with you there or not there if too far away! ftp/post etc . New, Pro Tools HD, nice mics, preamps, monitoring, plugins, outboard, instruments etc - everything there and only £20 an hour with me due to education subsidy. Cheers Dan

Invisible System mp3 download store

2011-10-16T05:34:00.001-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Invisible-System/46460854245?sk=app_155326481208883

playing around with 4 tracks that would make a nice digital only download e.p for invisible system, would be lighter workload for me to put it out lik

2011-10-12T16:25:00.001-07:00

playing around with 4 tracks that would make a nice digital only download e.p for invisible system, would be lighter workload for me to put it out like that, or should I work on 4+ more to make it an album and take longer? thinking digital only again, if anything gets pressed this time it would be vinyl:) thoughts?

Back on radio after trips abroad World Vision on in 3 mins at 10pmhttp://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-presenters/153-

2011-09-26T13:59:00.001-07:00

Back on radio after trips abroad World Vision on in 3 mins at 10pmhttp://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-presenters/153-Dan%20Harper
online of 97.5fm if you are around radstock/norton

Bone flaps off the new album with me, zewditu, merv and bos, showing post punk, goth, kraut rock, ethiopian side of the album;)

2011-09-17T07:52:00.000-07:00

Bone flaps off the new album with me, zewditu, merv and bos, showing post punk, goth, kraut rock, ethiopian side of the album;)

Punt (made in Ireland and Ethiopia!)

2011-09-11T13:16:00.001-07:00

Punt (made in Ethiopia) by Irish roots via Invisible System! Always knew my irish roots came across in the Invisible System productions in some ways and my Irish mate pointed out Punt was almost an Irish album by nature! :)

http://www.youtube.com/user/danieleonharper?feature=mhee#p/a/u/0/IFk6XvYkSAQ

2011-08-30T13:08:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/user/danieleonharper?feature=mhee#p/a/u/0/IFk6XvYkSAQ

http://www.youtube.com/user/WrithlingtonStudios?feature=mhee#p/u

2011-08-30T12:50:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/user/WrithlingtonStudios?feature=mhee#p/u

Invisible System + Writhlington Studios + Harper Diabate

2011-08-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

Invisible System DJ set this weekend if you are local;)

2011-08-24T13:51:00.001-07:00

Invisible System DJ set this weekend if you are local;)

another usa review

2011-07-29T23:51:00.001-07:00

http://loupgaruda.blogspot.com/2011/06/invisible-system-street-clan-not-your.html

photos

2011-07-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150258538796017.322797.602201016

World Vision programme 4 10pm tonight http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-presenters/153-Dan%20Harper

2011-07-25T10:15:00.001-07:00

World Vision programme 4 10pm tonight
http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-presenters/153-Dan%20Harper

Invisible TShirt For Sale : 1 of a kind!

2011-07-19T13:25:00.001-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150251089691017.320477.602201016

Prog 3 of World Vision on in 5 mins

2011-07-11T13:54:00.000-07:00

http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-presenters/153-Dan%20Harper

http://www.radionz.co.nz/genre/allprogrammesbygenre/music/talk?result_551217_result_page=I 2 RNZ interviews : Invisible System

2011-07-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

http://www.radionz.co.nz/genre/allprogrammesbygenre/music/talk?result_551217_result_page=I

2 RNZ interviews : Invisible System

http://www.allmusic.com/album/street-clan-r2173568

2011-07-04T15:56:00.001-07:00

http://www.allmusic.com/album/street-clan-r2173568

usa interview

2011-07-04T15:18:00.001-07:00

http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/listen/19453

http://loupgaruda.blogspot.com/2011/06/invisible-system-street-clan-not-your.html?showComment=1309735655105#c210655510713876499

2011-07-03T16:30:00.001-07:00

http://loupgaruda.blogspot.com/2011/06/invisible-system-street-clan-not-your.html?showComment=1309735655105#c210655510713876499

Invisible System - Street Clan released in the USA tomorrow :) www.invisiblesystem.com

2011-06-20T01:22:00.001-07:00

Invisible System - Street Clan released in the USA tomorrow :)
www.invisiblesystem.com

Last nights radio programme World Vision with me up on www.harperdiabate.com also repeated next Monday 10pm on www.somervalleyfm.co.uk with new progra

2011-06-14T13:17:00.001-07:00

Last nights radio programme World Vision with me up on www.harperdiabate.com also repeated next Monday 10pm on www.somervalleyfm.co.uk with new programme every 2 weeks same day and time

Got a new Invisible System radio show starting locally FM and online Monday http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-pres

2011-06-11T17:04:00.001-07:00

Got a new Invisible System radio show starting locally FM and online Monday

http://www.somervalleyfm.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/2-presenters/153-Dan%20Harper

Harper Diabate Valve Mics on special offer this month as times are hard;) Were £325.50 and now have 3 used once only for £150 for this month only....

2011-06-08T12:52:00.001-07:00

Harper Diabate Valve Mics on special offer this month as times are hard;) Were £325.50 and now have 3 used once only for £150 for this month only.... www.harperdiabate.com

Nigel Williamson, Uncut Review : Ethiopiques Goes Global Chapter Two Invisible System's acclaimed debut Punt - Made in Ethiopia was a thrilling conte

2011-05-21T11:50:00.001-07:00

Nigel Williamson, Uncut Review : Ethiopiques Goes Global Chapter Two

Invisible System's acclaimed debut Punt - Made in Ethiopia was a thrilling contemporary re-imagination of the Ethiopiques sound, combining authentic African recordings with dub, drum'n'bass and electronic programming to create the sort of album Damon Albarn might make if he pitched up in Addis Ababa.

Assisted by sympathetic fusionists from Portishead, Little Axe and Ozric Tentacles as well as a cast of African musicians - notably the brilliant voice of Zewditu Tadesse - the follow up is cut from similar cloth but shows even greater ambition, giving us such previously unknown genres as Ethiopian garage ("Zedanmer") and African motorik ("Bone Flaps").

http://www.frootsmag.com/content/issue/reviews/ Invisible System, Street Clan review in fRoots by Jamie Renton The origins of Dubulah’s project can

2011-05-20T09:16:00.001-07:00

http://www.frootsmag.com/content/issue/reviews/

Invisible System, Street Clan review in fRoots by Jamie Renton

The origins of Dubulah’s project can be traced back to his stay out in Ethiopia as a guest of Brit producer/multi-instrumentalist Dan Harper, whose Invisible System project takes apparently similar ingredients to Dub Colossus with very different results. As on IS’s debut, 2009’s Punt, Harper has invited a whole range of performers from Ethiopia and also the UK’s alt rock and reggae scenes, to improvise something for him to play with, mix and generally sound-sculpt into a series of tracks which (when this process works), are greater than the sum of their disparate and off-the-cuff parts. Street Clan has got a more unified sound than its predecessor, an earthy rumble of rock, dub and Ethiopian influences, its lo-fi character driven as much by necessity (Harper wasn’t blessed with the record label patronage that allowed Dub Col their studio trimmings) as by choice. Like Dubulah’s album it’s a sprawling affair, checking in at nearly 80 minutes, and its rockier excursions aren’t to my taste. But there are some dirty-beautiful moments of musical transcendence here, especially when the combination of young Ethio singer Zewditu Tadesse and UK-Jamaican vet Dennis Wint roar and ride over the mutant dub-Ethiopiques-techno-rock backing. As with his earlier album, Street Clan repays repeated attention.
• www.harperdiabate.com | Buy from Amazon.co.uk

http://www.nrk.no/programmer/sider/jungeltelegrafen/ 30/4/11 prog if anyone speaks Norweian! lol

2011-05-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

http://www.nrk.no/programmer/sider/jungeltelegrafen/
30/4/11 prog if anyone speaks Norweian! lol

http://www.radio3.rai.it/dl/radio3/programmi/puntata/ContentItem-2095471d-5eca-4110-bd53-978e99a50135.html?refresh_ce If anyone speaks or listens to

2011-05-18T15:05:00.001-07:00

http://www.radio3.rai.it/dl/radio3/programmi/puntata/ContentItem-2095471d-5eca-4110-bd53-978e99a50135.html?refresh_ce

If anyone speaks or listens to Italian :)

WPKN Archives: Dan Harper from Invisible System Interview

2011-05-09T15:43:00.000-07:00

WPKN Archives: Dan Harper from Invisible System Interview

http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/listen/19453

2011-05-09T15:25:00.001-07:00

http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/listen/19453

Valve mic competition on www.harperdiabate.com just email to sales@ what Diabate means, the best and funniest answer by the weekend has the chance to

2011-05-09T14:54:00.001-07:00

Valve mic competition on www.harperdiabate.com just email to sales@ what Diabate means, the best and funniest answer by the weekend has the chance to buy a stereo pair for the price of one mic;)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00gf7df/Paul_Moss_08_05_2011/ BBC Invisible System interview with Paul Moss today around 40 mins in. Liked Glo

2011-05-08T12:05:00.001-07:00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00gf7df/Paul_Moss_08_05_2011/

BBC Invisible System interview with Paul Moss today around 40 mins in. Liked Gloucester, Stroud and Ross on Wye en route also:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGLtGs-XXQg

2011-05-07T14:09:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGLtGs-XXQg

http://www.writhlingtonstudios.co.uk/

2011-05-06T06:58:00.001-07:00

http://www.writhlingtonstudios.co.uk/

Nice to do a local radio interview for a change http://www.fromefm.co.uk/ radio for our small somerset town! You can hear the Invisible System tracks

2011-05-01T15:08:00.001-07:00

Nice to do a local radio interview for a change http://www.fromefm.co.uk/ radio for our small somerset town! You can hear the Invisible System tracks and interview here go to programmes : music : unheard

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

2011-04-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

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

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150175513011017&comments Some footage of original Ethiopian recordings for the albums at my home/studio i

2011-04-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

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.

"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

2011-04-24T13:42:00.001-07:00

"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.

Back from camping in Wales to a great BBC album review :) http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/mcpn

2011-04-24T13:38:00.001-07:00

Back from camping in Wales to a great BBC album review :)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/mcpn

Another new USA review! world music central

2011-04-17T06:31:00.001-07:00

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

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

2011-04-15T16:37:00.001-07:00

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.

After neglecting myspace for years I just worked out how to use the new version and updated with 3 tracks off new album - enjoy:)

2011-04-15T15:08:00.001-07:00

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

2011-04-15T01:19:00.001-07:00

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

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

2011-04-13T14:52:00.001-07:00

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

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!!! :)

2011-04-13T14:46:00.001-07:00

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 – Street Clan - Featuring Andrian Utley of Portishead - Ethiopian, Jamaican Music

2011-04-06T02:54:00.000-07:00

Invisible System – Street Clan - Featuring Andrian Utley of Portishead - Ethiopian, Jamaican Music

Invisible System's Street Clan on BBC Radio 3's Late Junction programme (www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/latejunction) on Wednesday 13 April

2011-04-04T05:58:00.000-07:00

Invisible System's Street Clan on BBC Radio 3's Late Junction programme (www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/latejunction) on Wednesday 13 April

We be on BBC6msuic Gideon Coe again tonight, his show is always full of good tunes and worth tuning in;)

2011-03-31T13:32:00.001-07:00

We be on BBC6msuic Gideon Coe again tonight, his show is always full of good tunes and worth tuning in;)

R2 / Rock N Reel Mag 4star review

2011-03-26T08:57:00.000-07:00

INVISIBLE SYSTEM
****
Street Clan
(HARPER DIABATE RECORDS) HYPERLINK "http://www.harperdiabate.com"www.harperdiabate.com

Following Invisible System’s acclaimed, award nominated, debut Punt (Made In Ethiopia) comes this second eclectic helping of global fusion that once again knocks any preconceptions of ‘world music’ into a cocked hat. As with its predecessor Street Clan brings together Ethiopian musicians with members of bands as diverse as Hole, Portishead, Little Axe, Eat Static and The Ozric Tentacles and, just to make things even more interesting, adds a couple of Jamaican reggae vocalists, (Sydney Salmon from Shashamene, Ethiopia and Dennis Wint who Invisible System main man Dan Harper bumped into in Frome High Street) to the mix. Their involvement adds yet another dimension to an album that leads you along until you think you’ve got handle on proceedings before throwing a curve ball and setting off in a totally different direction. Spontaneous, joyous and full of sonic surprises it’s an unlikely endeavour where anything can, and often does, happen, with Ethiopian and Jamaican voices merging over music that ranges from beat heavy psychedelic guitar driven Krautrock (‘Live Up To Love’)to disjointed thrash-punk guitar and drums with traditional Ethiopian instruments (‘Mutant Miners’) and with every possible variation between. It really shouldn’t work, but it does and wonderfully so.
Dave Haslam

First review out for Street Clan. 5 stars 5/5:) Great review from Los Angeles, and makes you giggle, right on the money - lol

2011-03-26T02:50:00.000-07:00

First review out for Street Clan. 5 stars 5/5:) Great review from Los Angeles, and makes you giggle, right on the money - lol

Invisible System Takes World Fusion Music to a New Level with New CD Street Clan
Master musician Dan Harper and Invisible System has once again orchestrated a fusion masterpiece with his new CD Street Clan. With a more aggressive tone than last years Punt (Made in Ethiopia), Street Clan combines a European base with a Jamaican groove and an Ethiopian feel.

At first listen, I thought this CD would be great for a London or West Hollywood underground club. The second listen made me think it really needs to be played with hundreds of people in a mosh pit. After playing it everyday for a week, I finally realized this CD is perfect for one person in a mosh pit with hundreds of wild animals! This is mass confusion at its best! You will not be able to decide if you should go to a hip club or go on an African safari. Either way, the music is superb and the human expression is amazing.

Street Clan has grabbed graffiti from an international wall and transferred the meaning behind it into music. With a cast of experienced musicians from around the world, Invisible System’s Street Clan gets another five star review!

Check it out at www.HarperDiabate.com

Catch us tonight on BBC6 music with Gideon Coe 9pm - midnight http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00zj9b3

2011-03-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

Catch us tonight on BBC6 music with Gideon Coe 9pm - midnight
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00zj9b3

Sorry we are pulling out of Wreck n Roll gig with Eat Static , Skip McDonald etc on Sat in Bristol, numbers been down on the tour, come on UK we are a

2011-03-22T16:15:00.001-07:00

Sorry we are pulling out of Wreck n Roll gig with Eat Static , Skip McDonald etc on Sat in Bristol, numbers been down on the tour, come on UK we are all struggling in recession but I think up north it was £12 to see all those class acts and mutated circus. What is going on!?!?

Sorry we are pulling out of Wreck n Roll gig with Eat Static , Skip McDonald etc on Sat in Bristol, numbers been down on the tour, come on UK we are a

2011-03-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

Different track off new album on DJRitu A World In London here http://www.mixcloud.com/djritu/dj-ritua-world-in-london/?utm_source=redirect&utm_medium

2011-03-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

Different track off new album on DJRitu A World In London here
http://www.mixcloud.com/djritu/dj-ritua-world-in-london/?utm_source=redirect&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=cloudcast

Well I never thought this would be on the pre-order suppliers!! http://www.whsmithentertainment.co.uk/cd/the-invisible-system/street-clan/10406878.htm

2011-03-21T10:43:00.001-07:00

Well I never thought this would be on the pre-order suppliers!!
http://www.whsmithentertainment.co.uk/cd/the-invisible-system/street-clan/10406878.html

Playing in Bristol next weekend with Eat Static, Skip McDonald etc at Motion nightclub for the Wreck n Roll

2011-03-18T14:32:00.001-07:00

Playing in Bristol next weekend with Eat Static, Skip McDonald etc at Motion nightclub for the Wreck n Roll

Not sure if I should admit this either but the cheapest place to pre-order the album now is not Asda but HMV! http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDeta

2011-03-18T07:01:00.001-07:00

Not sure if I should admit this either but the cheapest place to pre-order the album now is not Asda but HMV!
http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;0;-1;-1;-1&sku=91927
£8.99 free p&p

1 day left if you want to hear a track off the new album second time Gideon on BBC6music has played this one and just caught it! http://www.bbc.co.uk/

2011-03-16T13:18:00.001-07:00

1 day left if you want to hear a track off the new album second time Gideon on BBC6music has played this one and just caught it!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00z2r3v#p00fldbd

speak japanese!?

2011-03-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/hmvjapan/4021351/

and another preorder

http://www.roughtrade.com/site/shop_detail.lasso?search_type=sku&sku=337673

or here

2011-03-14T11:16:00.001-07:00

http://www.normanrecords.com/poogle/index.php?q=invisible+system+street+clan&btnG=Search

Few more shops to pre-order new Invisible System album up http://www.piccadillyrecords.com/products/TheInvisibleSystem-StreetClan-HarperDiabateRecords

2011-03-14T11:13:00.001-07:00

Few more shops to pre-order new Invisible System album up
http://www.piccadillyrecords.com/products/TheInvisibleSystem-StreetClan-HarperDiabateRecords-75127.html

Pre order the new Invisible System album Street Clan here - released 11th April :) http://www.cargorecords.co.uk/release/15434

2011-03-11T12:21:00.001-08:00

Pre order the new Invisible System album Street Clan here - released 11th April :)
http://www.cargorecords.co.uk/release/15434

Writhlington Studios is now available for hire, with me in, Pro Tools HD + all the extras at only £150 per 7.5 hours, special offer.

2011-03-09T02:44:00.001-08:00

Writhlington Studios is now available for hire, with me in, Pro Tools HD + all the extras at only £150 per 7.5 hours, special offer.

01 Hode Baba I'm Worried He's Moving

2011-02-26T23:04:00.001-08:00

01 Hode Baba I'm Worried He's Moving by Invisible System

12 Dankira Dance City Boy

2011-02-26T23:03:00.001-08:00

12 Dankira Dance City Boy by Invisible System

win tickets to music port fest and come and see invisible system http://www.gondwanasound.co.uk/node/1283

2010-10-07T12:25:00.001-07:00

win tickets to music port fest and come and see invisible system http://www.gondwanasound.co.uk/node/1283

gigs n festivals

2010-07-21T08:47:00.001-07:00

Change in line up for our Music Port Festival gig, Salif Keita had transport and logistic issues so we are now playing with ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO, other acts inlude JAH WOBBLE AND HIS JAPANESE DUB and THE IMAGINED VILLAGE. We will also be headlining Open Air Stage Waveform Festival Saturday night for those who want dance and electronica in Wales:)

New Invisible System album

2010-07-14T15:45:00.001-07:00

New Invisible System album starting to really take shape now:)

Early Bird tickets

2010-06-15T13:53:00.001-07:00

Catch Invisible System @ Waveform Festival on an Early Bird Ticket,£75 run out midnight 30th June. not many left & they go up to £95 there after!

Festival Gigs

2010-06-08T13:35:00.001-07:00

2 Festivals Coming Up For Invisibe System : Playing before Salif Keita (who be headlining) Music Port and also last onstage Sat night Waveform Festival - Cats Cradle / Open Air Stage :)

New album review from The States

2010-06-01T12:03:00.001-07:00

New album review from The States
INVISIBLE SYSTEM
Punt: Made in Ethiopia
Harper Diabate 001

To call Invisible System a band is a bit of a misnomer. Instead it's largely the brainchild of Dan Harper, who was an aid worker in Ethiopia, where he befriended and recorded a number of musicians and singers, including the legendary Mahmoud Ahmed. He encouraged them to improvise, something different for those used to playing in structured formats. Back home in England, in brought in other musicians, including figures like Justin Adams, Juldeh Camara and even ex-punk Captain Sensible, to make the tracks into full pieces of music. It could have been a disaster, and it's to Harper's credit that it works so well, using reggae and dub in part (this project is a cousin to the Dub Colossus albums on Real World, employing some of the same Ethiopian musicians), plus some definite tinges of rock. It's worth pointing out that everything here features real musicians and singers, not samples, or people adopting another culture. At times hypnotic, at times rumblingly loud, it's a joy for the senses. Forget who's on it, and enjoy it as a major cross-cultural fusion that pays respect to all the cultures involved. It's world music in the very best way, but the question is where will Harper go from here. How do you top, or even follow, something like this? - CN

Quickie

2010-05-31T12:05:00.001-07:00

Finished building hardware and software of PT HD studio at work, now the acoustics ! At some point after I may actually get the next IS album finished...

BBC radio interview

2010-05-10T02:00:00.001-07:00

Invisible System interview towards end :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p007nrz6/Caribbean_Connection_09_05_2010/

iphone app

2010-04-07T09:24:00.001-07:00

iPhone app out for our album and awards nominees:)
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/songlines-music-awards-2010/id363133620?mt=8

4* Review In The Times

2010-03-25T16:09:00.003-07:00

4 Star Review in The Times
March 2010 : Clive Davis

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article7074981.ece

The untimely death of the broadcaster Charlie Gillett — “Mr World Music” — has left a hole. But if we are going to miss his annual pre-Womad compilation, Simon Broughton’s magazine goes some way to filling the gap. While Latin America is under-represented in the poll, Lusophiles will be glad to see the Cape Verdean diva Lura and the quirky fado-and-beyond newcomers Deolinda. Is the debut album by the disabled Congolese band Staff Benda Bilili really as interesting as the inspiring streets-of-Kinshasa back story? I’m not sure. Still, fascinating work from Faiz Ali Faiz, Mamer and the Ethio-dub project Invisible System, to name a few, should keep you occupied while you mull that one over. Songlines SPLCD003

Our World Music Awards Album just went no.1 in the ITunes World Music Charts:)

2010-03-25T16:09:00.001-07:00

Our World Music Awards Album just went no.1 in the ITunes World Music Charts:)

IS Radio Progs Coming

2010-03-24T05:26:00.000-07:00

Radio progs coming for Invisible System and other Songlines World Music Awards nominees - World on 3 BBC3 this Friday, Ross Allen Ministry of Sound on Monday and BBC Late Junction. Reviews also coming up in the papers:)

http://www.music-news.com/ShowNews.asp?nItemID=33261

2010-03-21T08:05:00.001-07:00

http://www.music-news.com/ShowNews.asp?nItemID=33261

World Music Awards - We are in finals under Best Newcomer + CD Release

2010-03-20T03:21:00.001-07:00

World Music Awards - We are in finals under Best Newcomer + CD new http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1040471&c=1