dublab Radio presents Interviews with Progressive Music Makers & Communities: Tel Aviv – The MENA Region. Our guests come from across the music world, including artists, DJs, journalists, radio hosts, label owners, and more. This series spotlights their compelling work. All interviews were conducted in 2019.

Gili Yalo is one of the most intriguing new musicians in the music scene in Israel. From his base in Tel Aviv, Gili has launched a solo career in a new project that combines Ethiopian roots with Soul, Funk, Psychedelic and Jazz music. Gili, who has collaborated with a top producer Uri Kinrot (Boom Pam), incorporates sounds from traditional Ethiopian music into a contemporary music production. The result is an exceptional, rich, vivid melody accompanied by Gili’s unique voice with lyrics in both English and Amharic. The music made by Gili embodies his own personal story, which inspires the rhythm and flow of the whole project. During Operation Moses, a mass migration of Ethiopian Jews fled from their native land on foot to refugee camps in Sudan. Together with his family, Gili walked through the desert towards the promised land and sang to his beloved ones. In the course of this exhausting and emotional journey it was the music which encouraged Gili and his family to keep on moving. Gili Yalo’s music creates new meaning to traditional Ethiopian music. The expression of his story through an advanced music production represents his own personal triumph.

Gili Yalo is one of the most intriguing new musicians in the music scene in Israel. From his base in Tel Aviv, Gili has launched a solo career in a new project that combines Ethiopian roots with Soul, Funk, Psychedelic and Jazz music. Gili, who has collaborated with a top producer Uri Kinrot (Boom Pam), incorporates sounds from traditional Ethiopian music into a contemporary music production. The result is an exceptional, rich, vivid melody accompanied by Gili’s unique voice with lyrics in both English and Amharic. The music made by Gili embodies his own personal story, which inspires the rhythm and flow of the whole project. During Operation Moses, a mass migration of Ethiopian Jews fled from their native land on foot to refugee camps in Sudan. Together with his family, Gili walked through the desert towards the promised land and sang to his beloved ones. In the course of this exhausting and emotional journey it was the music which encouraged Gili and his family to keep on moving. Gili Yalo’s music creates new meaning to traditional Ethiopian music. The expression of his story through an advanced music production represents his own personal triumph.

Gili Yalo was interviewed by Alejandro Cohen.

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We’d like to thank our guests and contributors. This series was produced by dublab Radio and Matteah Baim. Interviews were conducted by Alejandro Cohen and Chris Kissel. The dublab sound logo was created by Suzanne Ciani. Alejandro Cohen made our theme music. Editing was done by Matteah Baim. Lauren Denitzio was our graphic designer. This series was made possible by a grant from Asylum Arts.