{"id":15468,"date":"2026-09-20T12:17:41","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T12:17:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/15468"},"modified":"2026-09-20T12:20:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T12:20:19","slug":"teddy-maks-early-electronic-album-returns-on-vinyl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/15468","title":{"rendered":"Teddy Mak’s Early Electronic Album Returns on Vinyl"},"content":{"rendered":"

Teodros Makonnen, known to many fans as Teddy Mak, is getting a fresh chapter for one of his earliest electronic recordings. The album Teodros Makonnen With His Organ<\/em> (\u1274\u12ce\u12f5\u122e\u1235 \u1218\u12ae\u1295\u1295 \u12a8\u12a6\u122d\u130b\u1291 \u130b\u122d) is coming back as a vinyl release for the first time. Label Muzikawi is pressing it as a gatefold double LP under catalog number MUZLP005. The reissue notes say Jonathan Dakers restored and remastered the music. Shops and Bandcamp list a release and shipping window around October 2, 2026.<\/p>\n

A cassette that waited decades<\/h2>\n

The reissue notes say the music first appeared only on cassette in the early 1980s. For years it stayed little known outside Ethiopia. Now collectors and new listeners can hear it on two black vinyl discs with a gatefold sleeve.<\/p>\n

According to those notes, Teodros recorded the album in one take. He used a Yamaha double-deck keyboard at the home of a Saudi diplomat in Addis Ababa. The session was simple and direct. Traditional Ethiopian songs sit inside organ lines and drum-machine rhythms. The result feels both familiar and new for its time.<\/p>\n

\"Teodros
Album cover art for Teodros Makonnen With His Organ (Muzikawi \/ Mr Bongo reissue).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Who Teddy Mak is<\/h2>\n

Teddy Mak was a key keyboard player and arranger in the 1970s and 1980s Addis Ababa hotel music scene. The liner notes place him with the Shebele Band at the Wabi Shebelle Hotel and with the Dahlak Band. They also credit him with work beside major Ethiopian artists, including Mulatu Astatke, Aster Aweke, and Mahmoud Ahmed.<\/p>\n

His family story sits close to the music. The reissue notes say his father brought a piano into the home and encouraged serious practice. His late brother Dereje Makonnen played in the Ibex Band and later in the Ethiopian reggae group Dallol. That family path helps explain why Teodros moved so easily between live band work and electronic experiments.<\/p>\n

Why this album still matters<\/h2>\n

In the early 1980s, electronic organs and drum machines were still new tools in Ethiopian popular music. Some musicians feared machines would replace full bands. Others, like Teodros, saw new ways to arrange melody, rhythm, and mood. This cassette sits at that turning point. It takes well-known songs and sets them in a spare electronic style that still sounds personal today.<\/p>\n

Tracks such as “Libesh Kabashen,” “Odu Gol Golesa,” and “Addis Fikir” show the range. Some pieces feel light and open. Others carry a quieter, deeper pulse. Across all nine songs, the organ remains the clear voice.<\/p>\n

Muzikawi presents the music with new care for this first vinyl edition. The package aims to honor both the original cassette artwork and the story behind the recording. For listeners who love Ethio-jazz, hotel-band history, or early electronic experiments from Addis Ababa, this is a rare return.<\/p>\n

If you grew up with Teddy Mak’s keyboards, or you are hearing this cassette world for the first time, which track will you play first when the vinyl arrives?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Teodros Makonnen, known to many fans as Teddy Mak, is getting a fresh chapter for one of his earliest electronic recordings. The album Teodros Makonnen With His Organ (\u1274\u12ce\u12f5\u122e\u1235 \u1218\u12ae\u1295\u1295 \u12a8\u12a6\u122d\u130b\u1291 \u130b\u122d) is coming back as a vinyl release for the first time. Label Muzikawi is pressing it as a gatefold double LP under catalog […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15466,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sharing_disabled":false,"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[2,4,13,420],"tags":[670,629,669,71,668,666,665,667,671],"class_list":["post-15468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-arts-and-entertainment","category-ethiopian-music","category-news","tag-1980s-ethiopia","tag-addis-ababa","tag-electronic-music","tag-ethiopian-music","tag-muzikawi","tag-teddy-mak","tag-teodros-makonnen","tag-vinyl","tag-wabi-shebelle"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/featured-teddy-mak-organ.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9OJMY-41u","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15468"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15469,"href":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15468\/revisions\/15469"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tewnet.com\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}