Te'Amir Abyssinia & Abyssinia Rise

Pressed to vinyl for the first time ever, Te’Amir [pronounced Taahmer]’ s merges his recent two EPs into one body of work. The A-side holds the LA-beatmaker’s debut EP “Abyssinia EP”. Highlighting five tracks of beat driven, rootsy and soulful explorations, this EP is inspired by Te’Amir’s Ethiopian heritage and features the psychedelic vocals of Dustin Warren, strings from Miguel Atwood- Ferguson, harp lines from virtuoso Rebekah Raff, Randal Fisher on saxophone and more of L.A.’s finest creatives. Te’Amir explores and celebrates his connection to Ethiopia and its people, he explains: “My father is from Ethiopia. He would play me recordings of traditional music and hits from the Golden Era when I was a kid. I rediscovered some of his old tapes and records and began dissecting them. They were my connection to Ethiopia”.

The B-side of the LP is made up from the second EP “Abyssinia Rise EP”. This is an epic soundscape brimming with innovative shifts and colourful textures. Featuring four stand out tracks, the release takes the listener on an impactful metaphysical journey that weaves through the winding rivers and busy fields of the old Abyssinian empire before closing with an ascending sense of peace. “The project was a way for me to connect to Ethiopia. I’ve never been there so I use the music to take me there.”

Te’Amir’s practice is informed by his classical training and Afrodiasporic rhythms, along with the contemporary hip-hop and soul artists he has performed with over the last ten years. As well as playing with Aloe Blacc, Kendrick Lamar and Kamasi Washington, Te’Amir has performed with Kadhja Bonet, Ethio Cali, Mark de Clive-Lowe, YG, Kamaiyah, Kelis, Sahr Ngaujah (Fela! Musical Off- Broadway), Allen Stone, Shafiq Husayn, Quantic and Tewodros Tadesse. He also attended the Red Bull Music Academy in Barcelona.