8 Mulatu Astatké/The Heliocentrics

Inspiration Information You say: “Studied in London at the same time as Fela Kuti – two world giants of composition.” John Barrett, via Facebook

No one has bounced back from Ethiopia’s dark ages like Astatké. With a buzz building about the Éthiopiques series, Jim Jarmusch used three Astatké tracks on the soundtrack to his 2005 film Broken Flowers. The dam burst. After a day’s rehearsal with The Heliocentrics resulted in a wild London date in 2008, the team rushed to the studio with new ideas, sketches and traditional tunes to record Mulatu’s best work in 35 years. There’s no sense of him coasting as he nears 80, however: his recent releases, with Black Jesus Experience, are the most avant-garde of his career.