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Bole 2 Harlem’s New Ethiopian Style: The Melodic Rhymes and Beats of a Harlem Crew. While hip music enthusiasts are digging through record bins for Ethiopian funk and soul of the ’60s and ’70s, a diverse crew of Ethiopians, other Africans, and Americans in New York’s Harlem have created a new sound with positive Ethiocentric rhymes, funky horns, lively percussion and booty-shaking beats. Bole2Harlem represents the emergence of a new musical identity for the Ethiopian diaspora and a sonic bridge between New York’s uptown “Little Africa” and Bole, Ethiopia’s (air)port of entry. But there is a reason why a sound that some might think of as “out of left field” feels so catchy and danceable: it was created purely for fun among friends. Bole2Harlem is the brainchild of American producer, percussionist, and musician David Schommer, who has written and produced songs for Carole King, the Baha Men and Donna Summer, among others. Schommer keeps a collection of drums at a friend's French-Moroccan downtown restaurant called L'Orange Bleue. And Saturday nights are all about celebration, collaboration between live musicians and the house DJ, and dancing. A range of friends who met during these jam sessions joined Schommer at his 123rd Street studio to create Bole2Harlem, Volume 1, including the well-known Ethiopian singer Gigi’s sister, Tigist Shibabaw, Amharic Rap vocalist Maki Siraj, Brazilian percussionist and Vocalist Davi Vieira, cellist Dave Eggar, Ethiopian bassist Henok Temesge