Gili Yalo

From his base in Tel Aviv, Gili Yalo creates Music which combines Ethiopian roots with soul, funk, psychedelic and jazz. Yalo, who has collaborated with top music producers (Beno Hendler-Balkan Beat Box ,Niles City Sound -Lion Bridges, UBK-Boom Pam) incorporates sounds from traditional Ethiopian music into a contemporary music production. The result is an exceptional, rich, vivid melody accompanied by Gili’s unique voice with lyrics in both English and Amharic. The music made by Yalo embodies his own personal story, which inspired the rhythm and flow of the whole project. And what a story he has to tell: Operation Moses was the covert evacuation of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan during a famine in 1984. These Ethiopian Jews fled from their native land on foot to refugee camps in Sudan. Together with his family, Gili (who was four years old at that time) made this perilous trip, walked through the desert towards the “Promised Land” and sang to his beloved ones. In the course of this exhausting and emotional journey, the music encouraged Gili and his family to keep on moving. Gili Yalo’s band is made up of five musicians, including guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, and trumpet. An entrancing rhythmic motion is apparent when listening to Gili’s music, from the groove, beat and flow, and up to the lyrics, concept and style of the project.