Soundway Records have been releasing and reissuing a number of excellent under-the-radar music from various continents for a number of years now and their latest release comes in the form of an album, called Wondem from multi-instrumentalist Dexter Story. Above, ahead of the album’s release, you can listen to ‘Be My Habesha’ which features on Wondem.
This is his debut release with the label and sees him drawing out a number of influences across soul, jazz, funk and folk, borrowing sounds from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia and Kenya. “Wondem is a unique collection of songs inspired by my passion for and immersion into African music and culture over my career,” says Story. “This body of work came about as I began to compose and arrange for Todd Simon’s Ethio Cali, an emerging ethio-jazz ensemble in Los Angeles.” The album was written and recorded in downtown Los Angeles and includes the work of a number of collaborators including renowned multi-instrumentalist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and producer Mark de Clive-Lowe. The album is out on October 23.
