We were so excited to catch up with Zena, the London based two piece consisting of keyboardist Yohan Kebede and bassist Menelik. Drawing on their Ethiopian roots, the duo mix traditional Ethiopian sounds with a range of genres, from R&B to neo-soul,creating a beautiful blend of music in the process. We spoke to Menelik about Ethiopian jazz, musical influences and the release of his and Yohan’s EP TEMESGEN.
Menelik, congratulations on the release of your new EP TEMESGEN! What can listeners expect from this new project? How does it relate to your first single?
Listeners can expect a sound rooted in Ethiopian tradition but blended with contemporary sounds. The first single from the project, My Love Your Love, was actually the first song we wrote together – it set the tone for the whole EP. Traditional scales and drum grooves, but pushed through our own lens.
Let’s rewind a bit to the beginning of your creative partnership. How did you guys meet, and when did you realise that you had a lot of potential to collaborate together?
We first met at Yohan’s weekly jazz gig, when his regular bassist wasn’t available. At that first meeting, we realised that we both lived on the same street at the time. From there we met up to learn some songs a couple of times a month. We quickly realized we had a similar taste in music but it was only after our first gig, where we played mostly covers that we realized we should focus on writing music.
How does the Ethiopian influence of your music intertwine with your London identity?
Our parents made a strong effort to connect us to our heritage. When we started it felt natural to us to draw from every aspect of our musical taste. We want to connect with our heritage while also allowing space for outside influences to shape the sound.
What was your first experience with Ethiopian jazz as a genre? How would you explain the genre to someone who is not familiar with it?
My Mum has always played a lot of Ethiopian music around the house so i can’t think of a single moment where I had a first experience with it. The melodies are winding and infectious, It goes from slow melancholicballads to upbeat and joyous grooves.
How did music shape your identity growing up?
I was always curious about music from a young age and growing up there was always music on in the house all the time. Music also led me to meet so many people who shaped me throughout my life.
Do you see yourselves as preserving the genre, evolving it or completely re-contextualising it within the London music scene?
I think a core aspect of jazz is about reinterpreting all your influences. We try to just make music and not worry about genre. London’s music scene embodies this and we have the space to experiment and draw together different sounds. People are open to hearing music like that.
Who are the artists that inspire you, both musically and aesthetically?
We try to draw from any music that we come across whether it’s looking back on artists like Shuggie Otis, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Marvin Gaye, Parliament-Funkadelic or younger artists like Outkast, Khruangbinand D’Angelo . We also always look to artists from Ethiopia and Eritrea like Manalemosh Dibo, Hailu Mergia, Mahmoud Ahmed and Eden Gebreselassie.Elsewhere, we’re always being immersed in music from London and all the other communities that bring their sounds to the city as well.
In fusion music, how do you prevent one tradition dominating another?
I think in our case the music is a fusion because that reflects our upbringing and is how we have digested all our influences. So, I guess we are aiming more to share our experience growing up between two traditions. We allow space for songs to draw from different aspects of that.
What does success look like to you; cultural connection, community impact, innovation or something else entirely?
Success to me looks like introducing more people to new sounds and hopefully sending them on a journey discovering all the underappreciated classics that East Africa has to offer.
ZENA will perform at Brick Lane Jazz Festival April 26th and Cross the Tracks Festival May 24th- be sure to book tickets. Follow them on Instagram @zenaforeva
