Éthiopiques Suite Magnétique (2023)

Together with the Amsterdam music platform Steppin' Into Tomorrow we dive into the music of Ethiopia with the French documentary Éthiopiques Suite Magnétique about musicologist and producer Francis Falceto. 

Born in the Charentes region of France, Francis Falceto was dazzled by André Breton and the Surrealist movement. Francis Falceto decided at the age of seventeen to live an unusual life without a degree. In the 80s, with a few accomplices, he created l’Oreille est Hardie and then Le Confort Moderne, in Poitiers. He wrote a page in the history of the French Underground by committing himself in the dissemination of contemporary music and musical bargeries of all kinds. Still in Poitiers, he stumbled across a vinyl of modern Ethiopian music. A brilliant disc, Ere Mela Mela, performed by Mahmoud Ahmed, that no-one had ever heard before. And for good reason. This music was totally unknown at the time. He wanted to make it accessible and popular. He rescued hundreds of masters, vinyls and cassetes from the period 1950–1975 from oblivion. Together with the label Buda Musique he created a CD series that remains unrivalled today, the musical image of an entire country: Ethiopiques.

Melkweg often hosts different types of programmes at the same time, such as concerts, club nights and films. Please note that there may occasionally be some noise pollution from other programmes during the screening.