Bole 2 Harlem

Conceived in the early 00s by Harlem-based musician and producer Dave Schommer, the Bole 2 Harlem project was an inspirational project that found common currency in the sounds that had recently begun emerging from the African nation of Ethiopia and the rich melting pot of ideas that constituted everyday musical life in New York City. The idea took fruit after Schommer and Ethiopian-American rapper Maki Siraj began jamming at the Harlem restaurant L’Orange Bleue. The duo decided to take the project further and booked studio time with a carefully chosen guest list of musicians and vocalists from Ethiopia, America and Brazil, with notable names including Tigist Shibabaw, Henok Temesken and Fray. Mixing traditional Ethiopian music with the more contemporary western sounds of electronica, funk and hip-hop, the often stunning results released on the 2006 album Volume 1 were both soulful and danceable and attracted several highly positive reviews.