You Need to Hear This New Ethiopian Beat Tape From Ras G & Azla Vegan
LA-based producer Ras G and Azla Vegan share a mixtape that blends the vintage sounds of Ethiopia with head-nodding beat work.
Here’s a mixtape to hold the beat heads down for a minute.
<p>LA-based producer and Brainfeeder affiliate <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ras_g" target="_blank"><strong>Ras G</strong></a>—also known as <strong>Ras G & The Afrikan Space Program</strong>—comes through with a <a href="http://azlavegan.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">limited edition cassette tape</a> that blends the vintage sounds of Ethiopia with his signature "SpaceBase" sound.</p><p>In <em>Azla Sounds Volume 1</em>, Ras G flips and loops traditional Ethiopian music and Ethio-jazz into both booming beat works ("Hulätt," "Sost," "Aratt") and hazy electronic textures ("And," "Sïddïst").</p><p>The mixtape tape is being released in partnership with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/azlavegan/" target="_blank"><strong>Azla Vegan</strong></a>, a family owned Ethiopian restaurant in South Central Los Angeles, the first of its kind in the area.</p><p><div class="preroll-video"></div><ora-player></ora-player></p><p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="81c4a0bbc6cf08ec6aa65af56af555e0"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Uj6mFliOUxk?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span></p><p>Founded in 2013 by <strong>Nesanet Abegaze </strong>and named after her mother, Azla Vegan modifies traditional Ethiopian recipes into health-conscious vegetarian dishes.</p><p>Ras G and Nesanet tell us that they “cooked up the idea for the beat tape over a plate of injera and Shiro Wot.”</p><p>We all know that Ethio-jazz samples and hip-hop go hand-in-hand—if you’re not on board simply check out these <a href="http://www.okayafrica.com/audio/ethiopiques-samples-ethio-jazz-brief-history-cultural-exchange/" target="_blank">11 Samples From Ethiopiques</a> to get you on track.</p><p>Stream Ras G and Azla Vegan’s Ethiopian mixtape and grab a limited edition cassette <a href="https://azlavegan.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">over at Bandcamp</a>. Check out a pair of promo videos for the mix above and below.</p><p><iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/256097761%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-svJcf&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="619a29fe40203050a7d4ff333b939879"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WYAfleYT4zE?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span></p>
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