Keyboardist and arranger Hailu Mergia formed the Walias Band in the early 70s, so their ascent coincided with the revolution that toppled Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974 and with the complex period that followed. Despite the restrictions imposed by the military Derg, the Walias made their name playing Arabic and western covers to international crowds at the upscale Hilton Hotel, but it was at their afterhours lock-ins that the band really let loose with their blend of funk and Ethiopian scales and melodies. In 1977 they released Tche Belew, their first album. Unusually for the time it’s a mostly instrumental affair, with the only vocal interjections being those of the great Aster Aweke, Getachew Kassa, and Tegest Abate.