NOANDA (Germany / Ethiopia)

Noanda is a Germany-based world fusion band blending downtempo electronica with traditional and acoustic elements from across the globe. Drawing on influences from ambient, jazz, Afrobeat, and global folk music, they create atmospheric soundscapes rooted in collaboration and cultural dialogue. A key collaborator is Ethiopian singer Feven Yoseph, whose expressive vocals and Amharic lyrics bring spiritual depth to the group’s layered compositions. Noanda’s recordings and performances emphasize unity through diversity, often inviting artists from varied backgrounds to co-create with them.

Featured Songs:

Their Groove Africa song “Libe” (meaning “heart” in Amharic) is a tender meditation on love and recognition, elevated by Feven Yoseph’s soulful voice. Set against a backdrop of warm electronics and organic instrumentation, the lyrics trace a moment of destiny: “Suddenly, one day on my way / Our eyes met and touched… He looks like my heart — his name is ‘human.’” With poetic simplicity, the song captures the instant when two souls recognize each other and awaken to life anew.

In “Sewer Fiqir” (Hidden Love), Noanda and Feven Yoseph weave a poetic meditation on the unseen power of love. Drawing on traditional Ethiopian imagery, the Coffee Culture song compares creation itself to a hidden act of devotion: “Woven with love invisibly / Creation displayed beautifully.” Its verses explore how wisdom, nature, and emotion are all bound by the same creative force that unites humans and the divine. The recurring refrain, “What truth did you whisper in its ears / That you made the bitter leaf sweet,” suggests that even the harshest parts of life can be transformed by compassion and understanding.

“Gize Fetay” (Time the Spinner) originally appeared on the album Gize (2024) and is featured on Putumayo's African Sojourn, with lyrics written by Feven Yoseph and Biruk Gebremichael. The title refers to time as a weaver or spinner, an image that runs throughout the song’s lyrics, which move between memory, longing, and return. Set against spare instrumentation, Feven Yoseph’s vocals carry the song through vivid images rooted in the Ethiopian landscape, including the Borkena River and the Abunu compound. “I see it / At night, across the river / From the top of the mountain / Weaving life with diamonds / Time has brought me back to my childhood / Let me check if my honey wine has fermented.”

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