Founder Dan Harper from nr Bath/Box/Frome moved up north, to Brighton, to Brixton, to Mali, to Ethiopia (as an aid worker), and back to Somerset clocking up many members and sounds and a growing and moving studio base. Mixing Ethiopian, dance, psy, trance, rock, funk, world, dub, reggae, dnb etc with African vocalists and traditional instruments. Remixes done for Zion Train, Jesus Jones, Baka Beyond etc; writing for Suns of Arqa, and collaborations with some of the bands below e.g. Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara, Ozric Tentacles, Mahmoud Ahmed, Ethiopqiues, Dubulah, Simon Hinkler (The Mission), Captain Sensible, Hilaire Chabby (Baba Maal), Elmer Thudd (Loop Guru), Eat Static, Zion Train, Temple of Sound, Gary & Dennis (The Rhythmites) etc etc. I also put together Dub Colossus after inviting Nick Page / Dubulah out to Ethiopia to link him with the artists I was working with and to use my house and studio, we recorded the Ethiopian end there before Realworld took the project on. We had one co-write on the BBC's Long Way Down with Ewan McGregor (Realworld). Invisible System, Punt (Made In Ethiopia) album just released on Harper Diabate Records - radio play started e.g. DJ Pathaan, BBC Late Junction/Asian Net/World Service etc, New Zealand Radio, many in the USA and Europe. Receiving incredible reviews e.g. only album to get 5 stars that week in the Financial Times, top ten of best new albums after in The Independent, great review and full article in fROOTS mag, 4/5 review in Rock N Reel magazine, fantastic reviews in e.g. World Music Network, Fly Global etc, reviews emerging in e.g. Songlines and Mojo etc. Live gigs to come this year just finishing off live more jam / reggae / dub / dance / dnb set with Dennis from the Rhythmites on vox/mc with an album there near completed as well. More Ethiopian and rasta fusion albums also on the hard drives. Next playing Thimbleberry Festival in September. I am also reviewing gear and producing samples for Future and Computer Music; teaching music tech; managing youth music/art/social development programmes etc inbetween some live engineering and marketing my own microphones and album/label (www.harperdiabate.com) - the microphones also getting great reviews from e.g. Paul White at Sound on Sound and endorsed by e.g. The Cure's producer Paul Corkette. All demos on here - to finish - more coming onto www.invisiblesystem.com when I can find a bit of time. There is also an Invisible System facebook Group and facebook Page with info and free tunes etc (e.g. also see Six Degrees Records blog for free downloads). Is also a Harper Diabate Group for the label and microphones.
INVISIBLE SYSTEM : PUNT – made in Ethiopia
Invisible System present a fusion album of Ethiopian, dub, dance, rock, drum & bass, psychedelia, electronica & live music.Traditional vocals & instruments meet the modern, electronic and brass. Recorded in Ethiopia. Live Europeans meet live Ethiopians!
Guests include:
Mahmoud Ahmed & Bahta Gebrehiwot (Ethiopiques)
Hilaire Chabby (Baba Maal)
Justin Adams (Robert Plant & Strange Sensation, ex-Jah Wobble’s Invaders)
Tsedenia G.Markos, Mimi, Terermeg, Feleke, Desta, Tewabe & Sami (Ethiopians post this album signed to Realworld Records as Dub Colossus)
Joie Hinton (ex-Eat Static & Ozric Tentacles / Here and Now / IGV)
Martin Cradick (Baka Beyond/ex-Outback)
Captain Sensible (The Damned)
Ed Wynne (Ozric Tentacles / Noden Inctus)
Simon Hinkler (The Mission)
Dubulah (Transglobal Underground, Temple of Sound, Natasha Atlas)
Perch (Zion Train)
Juldeh Camara (Justin Adams, Realworld)
Elmer Thudd (Loop Guru)
Gary Woodhouse (The Rhythmites)
Boswell / Warp (Junkwaffle & Bristol Graffiti Artist - Los Mutartis)
A brief run-down with the most recent reviews (more to come e.g. Uncut, The Word, Q etc):
5 star reviews e.g. Financial Times and www.LAsThePlace.com
4 star reviews e.g. Rock N Reel / R2 Magazine, World Music Network, www.allmusic.com (itunes), altsounds.com, fRoots etc
‘sturdy Ethiopian vocals are matched against backing that veers from wailing
psychedelic rock to trance, trip-hop and dub, it's an impressive achievement.’
- The Guardian, Robin Denselow
'New rave goes global. The rave crowd may love such deranged energy.' - Uncut, Nigel Williamson
‘some of the album’s tracks have a brooding intensity which make them as
compelling as anything I’ve heard this year ‘- Songlines, Howard Male
‘you can imagine this becoming a mind blowing rave classic, pushing the envelope
beyond Ethiopqiues nostalgia.’ - MOJO, David Hutchenson
‘there are moments of electrifying mystique’ - Fly Global, Tim Woodall
’there's a pleasing headiness to its rough charm’ - The Independent, Andy Gill
‘a startlingly original combination of Ethiopian roots and pop with dub, electronica
and psychedelic rock’ - fRoots, Jamie Renton
‘this wonderfully strange and slightly otherworldly album’ refuses resolutely to be pigeon holed. One of the most startlingly original musical adventures of the year giving a whole new meaning to the term ‘fusion music’. - R2 / rock N Reel, Dave Haslam
‘like an exotic mythology flung into outer space‘ - World Music Network, TJ Nelson
‘an unhinged sense that anything could happen, it grows with each listen’ - fRoots, Jamie Renton
'it's clear that Harper is led by his compassion. He's managed to illustrate the process of identification between an English sound and the music of this African nation. Ethiopia is generally considered the jumping off point of human migration. A starting line for mans expansion. With "Punt," Invisible System has managed to bring us all back home.' 'USA - 8/10 www.altsounds.com
‘It’s an album that, to its credit, solidly defies easy description. It needs to be heard several times and each reveals a new delight’ - AllMusic.com, Chris Nickson
‘Each time you hear the songs, you hear something different as this will be the longevity of this world class fusion CD’ - LAsThePlace.com, Los Angeles
'The DIY feel of the arrangements suits the brooding other-wroldliness of the Ethiopian vocals far better than many more expensive productions.' - The Telegraph, Mark Hudson
'I encourage everyone to check it out, but not try to capture it..just feel it.' - Max Benkole Jarrett, BBC World Service
‘Brings together a fine mix of musicians to create a festive-sounding album recorded in Ethiopia’ – New Internationalist
Live Review
A recent review wrote : HYPERLINK "http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/18360" \t "_blank" http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/18360
Posted on Tuesday 20 May 2008 - 06:27
Congratulations to the organizers of the 7th Ethiopian Music Festival, which was a resounding success and brought great sounds to Addis Abeba. The only show I caught, due to overload, was Dan Harper. His work is astounding, bringing together house/techno beats both slow and fast with beautiful Ethiopian singers singing traditional songs and melodies to ride over his beats. World fusion taken to another level and maybe another musical revolution in the making? Definitely a memorable night.
Radio Play
Extensive international play e.g. :
BBC World Service, BBC6Music, BBC3 Late Junction, BBC London, Radio New Zealand, RRR Australia and too many to mention in the USA and Europe!
Examples of reviews :
5 stars (only album to get that week) Financial Times : Dan Harper, the consigliere behind Dub Colossus, spent three years in Ethiopia building this record around the same core of Ethiopian singers and musicians. Its quieter moments are similar to A Town Called Addis, but Invisible System throws more into the mix: West African one-stringed fiddle from Juldeh Camara; guitar from West Country luminiaries; smudged trumpet; chirping cickets; prog-psych noodling from various Ozric Tentacles; and Ethiopique hero Mahmoud Ahmed in full flight.
Teresa, World Music Network, USA Punt Made in Ethiopia Invisible System Harper Diabate Records How an aid worker, who spent eight years in Mali and Ethiopia, became the nomadic record producer, composer, musician, sound engineer and all around champion for equality and democracy in the underbelly of the fat, bureaucracy-laden aid organizations in the third world is a mystery only Invisible System's mastermind Dan Harper can answer. But it's clear from his liner notes, Dan's message is pretty clear, "Fascist dictators and insincere people beware..." Turning that frustration into music, Dan's found an international stage for some remarkable Ethiopian artists and an electrifying amalgum of sound with his debut recording Punt Made in Ethiopia. Dipping into a stew of dub, dance, rock, trance and Ethiopian traditions, Punt plays host to a guest lineup that includes Ethiopiques's Mamoud Ahmed and Bahta Gerehiwot, Hilaire Shabby, Justin Adams, Joie Hinton, Ed Wynne, Dubulah, Elmer Thudd and Gary Woodhouse among others. In addition to the recording, mastering, engineering and CD design, Mr. Harper also provides guitar, bass synthesizer, didgeridoo and percussion. Recorded in Addis Ababa and the U.K., Mr. Harper plunges headlong into a mystical world of trance, psychedelia, electronic dance music grounded by fiery Ethiopian vocals. The result is a bit like an exotic mythology flung into outer space. Relying on the artistic immediacy of improvisation, Mr. Harper opens Punt with an easy groove crafted by Ed Wynne on synthesizer, Juldeh Camara on ritti and some splendid vocals by Desta Fikra on the track "Hode Baba." Turning toward the dreamy, "Fiten Azorkugn" sparkles with Joie Hinton on synthesizer, former Loop Guru member Elmer Thudd on drums and Tsedenia Gebremarkos's vocals and Feleke Hailu Woldeilassie and Johnny Akilu Badane on saxophone, while Mamoud Ahmed's vocals drift eeriely from a darkly striking trance background on "Melkam Kehonelish." "Sewbekagn" shimmers with Netsanet's sultry vocals rising out of some deliciously twangy depth, while "Min Atefahu" is saturated with edgy guitar. Other notable tracks include the neatly packed "Yeteleye Fikir" with Gahta Gebre Hiwot's vocals or the spacy electronica against vocals by Mimi and Teremage Woretaw on "Gondar" and the combustible blend of dance and trance on "Dankira." With Punt Made in Ethiopia, Mr. Harper has found a mixed sound that is both powerful and exotically edgy. While it may delve heavily into the trippy electronica on occassion, Punt lures the listener with an almost mythical world fusion sound while honoring the gracious spirit of the Ethiopian soul through its vocal traditions. What a treat.
FRoots mag Invisible System’s album is a bit like a wayward relative of last year’s A Town Called Addis by Dub Colossus: perhaps its deranged brother, who’s been locked away in the attic for years, subsisting on a diet of hallucinogens and psych rock. Masterminded by English producer/ multi-instrumentalist Dan Harper (who was also involved in A Town Called Addis), it features a combination of Ethio roots musicians and UK players from the furthest reaches of world and rock. This must be the first album to find space for both Mahmoud Ahmed and The Damned’s Captain Sensible. Justin, Juldeh, Dub Colossus main-man Dubulah, Martin Craddick from Baka Beyond and members of The Mission, Here & Now and Ozric Tentacles, all add embellishments to recordings of local musicians made by Harper in his Ethiopian studio. The result is highly unusual and at times quite intoxicating. It starts out warm, dubby, jazzy, a little like A Town Like… before moving into wilder territory, with elements of drum ‘n’ bass and techno, swathes of rock guitar, an unhinged sense that anything could happen. It doesn’t all work, but there are a lot more hits than misses and Melkam Kehonelish – If That Is What You Want combines Mahmoud’s majestic vocals with rumbling electronica to delicious effect. Not to everyone’s taste I’d guess, but well worth a try. I find that it grows with each listen. Distributed by Discovery and Arabesque. Jamie Renton
Other reviews on out website e.g. 4/5 in Rock N Reel, The Independent top 1 new albums of week etc etc (or google) Purchase via www.harperdiabate.com or http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h__0_16?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=invisible+system+punt&sprefix=invisible+system or google it for others e.g. play and specialist record shops
Also cd baby, itunes and mondomix for mp3s but remember CD audio is better and the 14 pages of artwork are awsome - ethiopian and bos (eat static art etc and warp graffiti artist known on the Bristol scene along with e.g.Banksy and the more obscure, Bos/Warp covering a darker edge), covered in the recent book 'Children of The Can - by FelixBraun' Coincidently two of Warp's pieces of art on the album sleeve are in that book. Interesting how much graff art from Bristol came out in the forms of e.g. Banksy, Massive Attack (3D being former graff artist), Trip Hop etc - I didn't know Goldie was a graff artist either until recently.
INVISIBLE SYSTEM : PUNT – made in Ethiopia
Invisible System present a fusion album of Ethiopian, dub, dance, rock, drum & bass, psychedelia, electronica & live music.Traditional vocals & instruments meet the modern, electronic and brass. Recorded in Ethiopia. Live Europeans meet live Ethiopians!
Guests include:
Mahmoud Ahmed & Bahta Gebrehiwot (Ethiopiques)
Hilaire Chabby (Baba Maal)
Justin Adams (Robert Plant & Strange Sensation, ex-Jah Wobble’s Invaders)
Tsedenia G.Markos, Mimi, Terermeg, Feleke, Desta, Tewabe & Sami (Ethiopians post this album signed to Realworld Records as Dub Colossus)
Joie Hinton (ex-Eat Static & Ozric Tentacles / Here and Now / IGV)
Martin Cradick (Baka Beyond/ex-Outback)
Captain Sensible (The Damned)
Ed Wynne (Ozric Tentacles / Noden Inctus)
Simon Hinkler (The Mission)
Dubulah (Transglobal Underground, Temple of Sound, Natasha Atlas)
Perch (Zion Train)
Juldeh Camara (Justin Adams, Realworld)
Elmer Thudd (Loop Guru)
Gary Woodhouse (The Rhythmites)
Boswell / Warp (Junkwaffle & Bristol Graffiti Artist - Los Mutartis)
A brief run-down with the most recent reviews (more to come e.g. Uncut, The Word, Q etc):
5 star reviews e.g. Financial Times and www.LAsThePlace.com
4 star reviews e.g. Rock N Reel / R2 Magazine, World Music Network, www.allmusic.com (itunes), altsounds.com, fRoots etc
‘sturdy Ethiopian vocals are matched against backing that veers from wailing
psychedelic rock to trance, trip-hop and dub, it's an impressive achievement.’
- The Guardian, Robin Denselow
'New rave goes global. The rave crowd may love such deranged energy.' - Uncut, Nigel Williamson
‘some of the album’s tracks have a brooding intensity which make them as
compelling as anything I’ve heard this year ‘- Songlines, Howard Male
‘you can imagine this becoming a mind blowing rave classic, pushing the envelope
beyond Ethiopqiues nostalgia.’ - MOJO, David Hutchenson
‘there are moments of electrifying mystique’ - Fly Global, Tim Woodall
’there's a pleasing headiness to its rough charm’ - The Independent, Andy Gill
‘a startlingly original combination of Ethiopian roots and pop with dub, electronica
and psychedelic rock’ - fRoots, Jamie Renton
‘this wonderfully strange and slightly otherworldly album’ refuses resolutely to be pigeon holed. One of the most startlingly original musical adventures of the year giving a whole new meaning to the term ‘fusion music’. - R2 / rock N Reel, Dave Haslam
‘like an exotic mythology flung into outer space‘ - World Music Network, TJ Nelson
‘an unhinged sense that anything could happen, it grows with each listen’ - fRoots, Jamie Renton
'it's clear that Harper is led by his compassion. He's managed to illustrate the process of identification between an English sound and the music of this African nation. Ethiopia is generally considered the jumping off point of human migration. A starting line for mans expansion. With "Punt," Invisible System has managed to bring us all back home.' 'USA - 8/10 www.altsounds.com
‘It’s an album that, to its credit, solidly defies easy description. It needs to be heard several times and each reveals a new delight’ - AllMusic.com, Chris Nickson
‘Each time you hear the songs, you hear something different as this will be the longevity of this world class fusion CD’ - LAsThePlace.com, Los Angeles
'The DIY feel of the arrangements suits the brooding other-wroldliness of the Ethiopian vocals far better than many more expensive productions.' - The Telegraph, Mark Hudson
'I encourage everyone to check it out, but not try to capture it..just feel it.' - Max Benkole Jarrett, BBC World Service
‘Brings together a fine mix of musicians to create a festive-sounding album recorded in Ethiopia’ – New Internationalist
Live Review
A recent review wrote : HYPERLINK "http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/18360" \t "_blank" http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/18360
Posted on Tuesday 20 May 2008 - 06:27
Congratulations to the organizers of the 7th Ethiopian Music Festival, which was a resounding success and brought great sounds to Addis Abeba. The only show I caught, due to overload, was Dan Harper. His work is astounding, bringing together house/techno beats both slow and fast with beautiful Ethiopian singers singing traditional songs and melodies to ride over his beats. World fusion taken to another level and maybe another musical revolution in the making? Definitely a memorable night.
Radio Play
Extensive international play e.g. :
BBC World Service, BBC6Music, BBC3 Late Junction, BBC London, Radio New Zealand, RRR Australia and too many to mention in the USA and Europe!
Examples of reviews :
5 stars (only album to get that week) Financial Times : Dan Harper, the consigliere behind Dub Colossus, spent three years in Ethiopia building this record around the same core of Ethiopian singers and musicians. Its quieter moments are similar to A Town Called Addis, but Invisible System throws more into the mix: West African one-stringed fiddle from Juldeh Camara; guitar from West Country luminiaries; smudged trumpet; chirping cickets; prog-psych noodling from various Ozric Tentacles; and Ethiopique hero Mahmoud Ahmed in full flight.
Teresa, World Music Network, USA Punt Made in Ethiopia Invisible System Harper Diabate Records How an aid worker, who spent eight years in Mali and Ethiopia, became the nomadic record producer, composer, musician, sound engineer and all around champion for equality and democracy in the underbelly of the fat, bureaucracy-laden aid organizations in the third world is a mystery only Invisible System's mastermind Dan Harper can answer. But it's clear from his liner notes, Dan's message is pretty clear, "Fascist dictators and insincere people beware..." Turning that frustration into music, Dan's found an international stage for some remarkable Ethiopian artists and an electrifying amalgum of sound with his debut recording Punt Made in Ethiopia. Dipping into a stew of dub, dance, rock, trance and Ethiopian traditions, Punt plays host to a guest lineup that includes Ethiopiques's Mamoud Ahmed and Bahta Gerehiwot, Hilaire Shabby, Justin Adams, Joie Hinton, Ed Wynne, Dubulah, Elmer Thudd and Gary Woodhouse among others. In addition to the recording, mastering, engineering and CD design, Mr. Harper also provides guitar, bass synthesizer, didgeridoo and percussion. Recorded in Addis Ababa and the U.K., Mr. Harper plunges headlong into a mystical world of trance, psychedelia, electronic dance music grounded by fiery Ethiopian vocals. The result is a bit like an exotic mythology flung into outer space. Relying on the artistic immediacy of improvisation, Mr. Harper opens Punt with an easy groove crafted by Ed Wynne on synthesizer, Juldeh Camara on ritti and some splendid vocals by Desta Fikra on the track "Hode Baba." Turning toward the dreamy, "Fiten Azorkugn" sparkles with Joie Hinton on synthesizer, former Loop Guru member Elmer Thudd on drums and Tsedenia Gebremarkos's vocals and Feleke Hailu Woldeilassie and Johnny Akilu Badane on saxophone, while Mamoud Ahmed's vocals drift eeriely from a darkly striking trance background on "Melkam Kehonelish." "Sewbekagn" shimmers with Netsanet's sultry vocals rising out of some deliciously twangy depth, while "Min Atefahu" is saturated with edgy guitar. Other notable tracks include the neatly packed "Yeteleye Fikir" with Gahta Gebre Hiwot's vocals or the spacy electronica against vocals by Mimi and Teremage Woretaw on "Gondar" and the combustible blend of dance and trance on "Dankira." With Punt Made in Ethiopia, Mr. Harper has found a mixed sound that is both powerful and exotically edgy. While it may delve heavily into the trippy electronica on occassion, Punt lures the listener with an almost mythical world fusion sound while honoring the gracious spirit of the Ethiopian soul through its vocal traditions. What a treat.
FRoots mag Invisible System’s album is a bit like a wayward relative of last year’s A Town Called Addis by Dub Colossus: perhaps its deranged brother, who’s been locked away in the attic for years, subsisting on a diet of hallucinogens and psych rock. Masterminded by English producer/ multi-instrumentalist Dan Harper (who was also involved in A Town Called Addis), it features a combination of Ethio roots musicians and UK players from the furthest reaches of world and rock. This must be the first album to find space for both Mahmoud Ahmed and The Damned’s Captain Sensible. Justin, Juldeh, Dub Colossus main-man Dubulah, Martin Craddick from Baka Beyond and members of The Mission, Here & Now and Ozric Tentacles, all add embellishments to recordings of local musicians made by Harper in his Ethiopian studio. The result is highly unusual and at times quite intoxicating. It starts out warm, dubby, jazzy, a little like A Town Like… before moving into wilder territory, with elements of drum ‘n’ bass and techno, swathes of rock guitar, an unhinged sense that anything could happen. It doesn’t all work, but there are a lot more hits than misses and Melkam Kehonelish – If That Is What You Want combines Mahmoud’s majestic vocals with rumbling electronica to delicious effect. Not to everyone’s taste I’d guess, but well worth a try. I find that it grows with each listen. Distributed by Discovery and Arabesque. Jamie Renton
Other reviews on out website e.g. 4/5 in Rock N Reel, The Independent top 1 new albums of week etc etc (or google) Purchase via www.harperdiabate.com or http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h__0_16?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=invisible+system+punt&sprefix=invisible+system or google it for others e.g. play and specialist record shops
Also cd baby, itunes and mondomix for mp3s but remember CD audio is better and the 14 pages of artwork are awsome - ethiopian and bos (eat static art etc and warp graffiti artist known on the Bristol scene along with e.g.Banksy and the more obscure, Bos/Warp covering a darker edge), covered in the recent book 'Children of The Can - by FelixBraun' Coincidently two of Warp's pieces of art on the album sleeve are in that book. Interesting how much graff art from Bristol came out in the forms of e.g. Banksy, Massive Attack (3D being former graff artist), Trip Hop etc - I didn't know Goldie was a graff artist either until recently.
World Downtempo