I am the man who instigated Dub Colossus when Iived and worked in Ethiopia -this new release was recorded before DC and includes that crew as well as e.g. Mahmoud Ahmed, Justin Adams, Captain Sensible, The Ozrics etc etc!

Invisible System present a 12 track fusion album of Ethiopian, Dub, Dance,
Rock, Drum & Bass, Psychedelia, Trance, Electronica & live music.
Traditional vocals / instruments meet the modern, electronic and brass.
Live Europeans meet live Ethiopians.  Our guests include:
 
Mahmoud Ahmed & Bahta Gebrehiwot (Ethiopiques)
Hilaire Chabby (Baba Maal)
Justin Adams (Robert Plant & Strange Sensation, ex Jah Wobble’s Invaders)
Tsedenia, Mimi, Tarmeg & Sami (Ethiopians since this album signed to
Realworld Records)
Joie Hinton (ex-Eat Static & Ozric Tentacles / Here and Now / IGV)
Martin Cradick (Baka Beyond/ex-Outback)
Captain Sensible (The Damned)
Ed Wynne (Ozric Tentacles / Noden Inctus)
Simon Hinkler (ex-The Mission)
Dubulah (ex-Transglobal Underground, Temple of Sound, Natasha Atlas etc)
Perch (Zion Train)
Juldeh (Justin Adams, Realworld etc)
Elmer Thudd (ex-Loop Guru)
Gary Woodhouse (The Rhythmites)
Bos (ex-Junk Waffle and Warp Graf/Eat Static Artist)
 
 
Reviews
Invisible System – World Music Network _ USAPunt - Made In Ethiopia (Harper Diabate Records, 2009)

How an aid worker, who spent eight years in Mali and Ethiopia, became the nomadic record producer, composer, musician, sound engineer and all around champion for equality and democracy in the underbelly of the fat, bureaucracy-laden aid organizations in the third world is a mystery only Invisible System’s mastermind Dan Harper can answer. But it’s clear from his liner notes, Dan’s message is pretty clear, “Fascist dictators and insincere people beware…” Turning that frustration into music, Dan’s found an international stage for some remarkable Ethiopian artists and an electrifying amalgam of sound with his debut recording Punt - Made In Ethiopia.
Dipping into a stew of dub, dance, rock, trance and Ethiopian traditions, Punt plays host to a guest lineup that includes Ethiopiques’s Mahmoud Ahmed and Bahta Gerehiwot, Hilaire Shabby, Justin Adams, Joie Hinton, Ed Wynne, Dubulah, Elmer Thudd and Gary Woodhouse among others. In addition to the recording, mastering, engineering and CD design, Mr. Harper also provides guitar, bass synthesizer, didgeridoo and percussion. Recorded in Addis Ababa and the U.K., Mr. Harper plunges headlong into a mystical world of trance, psychedelia, electronic dance music grounded by fiery Ethiopian vocals. The result is a bit like an exotic mythology flung into outer space. 

Relying on the artistic immediacy of improvisation, Mr. Harper opens Punt with an easy groove crafted by Ed Wynne on synthesizer, Juldeh Camara on ritti and some splendid vocals by Desta Fikra on the track “Hode Baba.” Turning toward the dreamy, “Fiten Azorkugn” sparkles with Joie Hinton on synthesizer, former Loop Guru member Elmer Thudd on drums and Tsedenia Gebremarkos’s vocals and Feleke Hailu Woldeilassie and Johnny Akilu Badane on saxophone, while Mamoud Ahmed’s vocals drift eeriely from a darkly striking trance background on “Melkam Kehonelish.” “Sewbekagn” shimmers with Netsanet’s sultry vocals rising out of some deliciously twangy depth, while “Min Atefahu” is saturated with edgy guitar. Other notable tracks include the neatly packed “Yeteleye Fikir” with Gahta Gebre Hiwot’s vocals or the spacy electronica against vocals by Mimi and Teremage Woretaw on “Gondar” and the combustible blend of dance and trance on “Dankira.”

With Punt - Made In Ethiopia, Mr. Harper has found a mixed sound that is both powerful and exotically edgy. While it may delve heavily into the trippy electronica on occasion, Punt lures the listener with an almost mythical world fusion sound while honoring the gracious spirit of the Ethiopian soul through its vocal traditions. What a treat.
Rock ‘n’ Reel Magazine UK gave it 4/5(to be published)
Having spent several years in Africa as an aid worker, musician and producer Dan Harper (aka Invisible System), was uniquely qualified when it came to the creation of this wonderfully strange and slightly otherworldly album. Punt is a remarkable musical melting pot that crosses continents, cultures and musical genres and in doing so gives birth to something that, with its blend of Ethiopian music, dub, trance, pop, electronica, rock and psychedelia refuses resolutely to be pigeon holed. Created with the assistance of an eclectic collection of musicians from bands as diverse as Ozric Tentacles, Robert Plant, Zion Train, Loop Guru, Baka Beyond, The Mission, Transglobal Underground and Baaba Maal, Punt is truly innovative. Recorded at Harper’s mobile Worm Hole Studio in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia it features some of that country’s finest including legendary singer Mahmoud Ahmed together with pianist Samuel Yirga Miyiku, saxophonist Feleke Hailu Woldemariam and singers Tsedenia Gebremarkos Woldesilassie and Sintayehu Zenebe who last year collaborated with Harper on Count Dubullah’s Dub Colossus project, A Town Called Addis. One of the most startlingly original musical adventures of the year Punt seamlessly knits together these diverse threads and in doing so gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘fusion music’.
Dave Haslam
Froots Magazine UK – Jamie Renton (full article next issue)
Invisible System’s album is a bit like a wayward relative of last year’s A Town Called Addis by Dub Colossus: perhaps its deranged brother, who’s been locked away in the attic for years, subsisting on a diet of hallucinogens and psych rock. Masterminded by English producer/ multi-instrumentalist Dan Harper (who was also involved in A Town Called Addis), it features a combination of Ethio roots musicians and UK players from the furthest reaches of world and rock. This must be the first album to find space for both Mahmoud Ahmed and The Damned’s Captain Sensible. Justin, Juldeh, Dub Colossus main-man Dubulah, Martin Craddick from Baka Beyond and members of The Mission, Here & Now and Ozric Tentacles, all add embellishments to recordings of local musicians made by Harper in his Ethiopian studio.
The result is highly unusual and at times quite intoxicating. It starts out warm, dubby, jazzy, a little like A Town Like… before moving into wilder territory, with elements of drum ‘n’ bass and techno, swathes of rock guitar, an unhinged sense that anything could happen. It doesn’t all work, but there are a lot more hits than misses and Melkam Kehonelish – If That Is What You Want combines Mahmoud’s majestic vocals with rumbling electronica to delicious effect. Not to everyone’s taste I’d guess, but well worth a try. I find that it grows with each listen. (full article and free track on cover CD of next issue)
Songlines Howard Male wrote ‘some of the most compeling tracks I have heard this year.’; (yet to be published)
Fly Global Music wrote ‘Any album that assembles an array of contributors as wide as Mahmoud Ahmed and Bahta Gebre Hiwot of Ethiopiques fame, Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara, and European musicians like beats-smith Dubulah (a.k.a Nick Page) is likely to struggle to find a cohesive voice. Not so for PUNT Made in Ethiopia, the first release on Harper Diabate…there are moments of electrifying mystique and the beginnings of genuine cross-cultural conversations to be found here. Watch this space.’ Etc etc
It has also been aired on Radio New Zealand (alongside an interview), BBC Late Junction, World Service, Asian Network etc and various stations in the USA e.g.
 
Live Review
 
A recent review wrote : http://www.africanews.com/site/list_messages/18360
Posted on Tuesday 20 May 2008 - 06:27
Congratulations to the organizers of the 7th Ethiopian Music Festival, which was a resounding success and brought great sounds to Addis Abeba. The only show I caught, due to overload, was Dan Harper. His work is astounding, bringing together house/techno beats both slow and fast with beautiful Ethiopian singers singing traditional songs and melodies to ride over his beats. World fusion taken to another level and maybe another musical revolution in the making? Definitely a memorable night.
 
 
Artist Profile:
 
Invisible System is the brain child of Dan Harper who spent 8 years aid working in Mali and Ethiopia, producing music in-between.  He has co-written, sound engineered, loaned his singers and musicians to and played on A Town Called Addis by Dub Colossus on Realworld Records, an album that followed the recording of this album, PUNT Made in Ethiopia.  Dub Colossus was made with Nick Page / Dubulah from Transglobal Underground/Temple of Sound/Natasha Atlas etc.  One of the tracks Dan co-wrote and played on/engineered was also featured on the CD & DVD from the BBC series Long Way Down (Ewan McGregor and his friend traveling through Africa on motorbikes, including Ethiopia).  Realworld took on the album post Dan inviting Nick Page/Dubulah to come and stay at his house and studio in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where they recorded the album in Dan’s Worm Hole Studios (the studio Dan built that follows him around the world changing form as to where it is based e.g. a third world country or Frome in Somerset).  Worm Hole’s equipment can be setup around scarce resources such as in an outhouse with corrugated iron roofing (interesting in the rainy season), carpets and breeze blocks.  It is also now constructed in a more solid form in Frome, Somerset whilst maintaining it’s DIY, nomadic and professional feel and look.  Dan introduced Nick Page/Dubulah to the musicians and friends he had met and worked with whilst living in Addis for 3 years who also feature on this album Punt, as do many other Ethiopian musicians including their main star and BBC3 World Music Award Winner Mamoud Ahmed of the Ethiopique series. 
 
Invisible System played at the Ethiopian Music Festival, Addis Ababa last year and plan to do the same in 2009 if funding comes back around.  We also hope to play some festivals such as Womad if it comes together and visas etc are sorted and we secure booking.  Also we have been playing live in the UK with Dennis Wint (Jamaican born singer from the UK reggae band The Rhythmites) on vocals.  We played last year using this line up on the main stage, Endorset Festival as well as supporting Dreadzone with Dennis on vocals.  Merv Pepler from Eat Static / Ozric Tentacles was due to join us for that gig on drums but was ill so we hope to attempt that again this year.  We are talking about supporting Zion Train, The Ozric Tentacles etc as well as playing independently at some festivals and venues at present.
 
The album is a welcome outcome from years of aid work and the frustrations that come with it.  The lack of support for artists and musicians in this world lead to Dan establishing not only Harper Diabate Records and Harper Diabate Ribbon & Valve Microphones but also a charitable arm of the company in an attempt to continue his aid work but aimed at artists and in a less resource wasteful manner.  The amount of time and resources used by the aid organization he worked for to fly people around the world to workshops that amount to very little, government lead thought and policy, constant bureaucracy and lack of being out there making a difference was just shocking, disappointing and impossible to combat or change.  A contract signed to be out developing volunteer placements and making a difference turned into yet another desk based paper work job getting no-where full of myopia from London and senior management, with outrageous bullying of Ethiopian and programme staff left right and centre.
 
The albums were improvised, from scratch - all instruments and vocals.  Improvisation was a largely new concept to most of the Ethiopian counterparts (previously told what or how to play or sing).  Dan just went from go with your feelings and express them as Dan had done.  The results were stunning both for them and for us.  We are not into using Ethiopian (or Malian) samples or trying to quickly learn and imitate Ethiopian musicians who have their sounds, modes, scales, feelings and soul from their culture and country else we would be the neo-colonialists.  We are into sharing, learning and exchange over time.
 
As well as the next Ethiopian fusion album with guests for release this year
we have another release with Dennis Wint, singer from the UK reggae band The Rhythmites on vocals.  We are playing out live so look out for us at clubs and festivals and check the websites for info.  We have been playing the Endorset Festival main stage and with Dreadzone to date.  Another purely traditional Ethiopian album is also due for release, a second Ethiopian fusion album is on our hard drive (more upbeat), alongside a remix album featuring e.g. Baka Beyond, Zion Train, Jesus Jones, Inverse Gravity Vehicle (Joie Hinton of Eat Static / Ozric Tentacles), Ozric Tentacles, Power Steppers (Molara & Colin ex-Zion Train) etc.
 
Dan spent 3 years in Addis Ababa not 3 weeks, living, working and existing
there.  Aid working all around the country, producing music based in Addis. He Met people from all walks of life.  The music is based on real life experience not from reading.  It is played from the heart and soul of everyone involved.  Their own interpretation thus tapping the ebbs and flows of our lives.
 
 
 
 
Contact
 
Harper Diabate, 1 River Walk, Frome, Somerset, BA11 5HU
info@harperdiabate.com  :  www.myspace.com/invisiblesystem
(there are also invisible system and harper diabate groups also on
www.facebook.com)
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=40729859663
Hardly used to date also www.myspace.com/harperdiabate
Dan Harper : 07515 400362
 
Extra Notes :
We would be very grateful for any exposure of the CD through play, review spreading its release via word of mouth.  This is out first release on Harper Diabate.  Also we want people to know the story as well as the music and to continue our work in the arts and international development.  Dan is always available to talk and to be interviewed.
 
Please let us know of any reviews, air play etc that is scheduled so we can watch, listen, read and enjoy.