Sifting through East African treasures has become quite a thing for us lately. Trans-Mara Express flew the flag for Lebanon and Kenya not too long ago; today Mikael Seifu spoils us with gifts from neighbouring Ethiopia. And oh, what a present it is. Returning to the familiar grounds of Washington D.C. label 1432 R – the imprint that released his debut Yarada Lij EP last year – comes Seifu’s next project, The Lost Drum Beat.

His penchant for melding electronic hardware and traditional Ethiopian sounds is as novel as ever here. The title track manoeuvres with all the mystifying, dubstep/garage jerks of a Burial number, yet this is slightly brighter and more bouncy territory. Nocturnal by nature, yet less forlorn and blessed with ghostly percussive intonations.

Catch it on its June 19th release date.