One of the most exciting debuts of 2017, Gili Yalo’s self-titled album has message, style, musical skill and a distinctly Ethiopian sound. It marks a new chapter in a journey loaded with trials and tribulations: as a child, the artist was forced to leave his homeland with his family – as a result of the covert evacuation of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan following the 1984 famine. Acknowledging his culture in a new homeland, Yalo’s band employs Ethio-jazz layers and dense rhythms that reflect his roots, blending them boldly with funk and R’n’B recalling the golden era of Afro-funk. His clear and bluesy voice gives a candid account of displacement and alienation, while the beat and intensity reflect a stubborn joie de vivre. Archaic and futuristic, his stage charisma and voice has an instant effect on audiences around the world.