After 17 years of cultural repression, Ethiopian music is undergoing a renaissance.

At the forefront of this revival is Abyssinia Infinite, a crosscultural collaboration between legendary producer Bill Laswell and Ethiopia's hottest new vocal revelation, Ejigayehu "Gigi" Shibabaw.

When Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed in a coup by his own military in 1974, the subsequent Derg regime imposed a curfew which repressed live musicians in Ethiopia For almost two decades, live bands were replaced with synthesizers and drum machines.

This period of artistic repression saw young Shibabaw leave Ethiopia to spend her teenage years in Kenya, where she was exposed to a broad spectrum of African music. Gigi returned to her home country in 1996, five years after the regime's collapse, but the musical experience she had amassed in her time abroad remained with her.

In January 2004, Gigi was finally able to fulfil her dream of fusing East and West African music with the soulful Ethiopian Orthodox Church sounds of her childhood.

The first Abyssinia Infinite album, Zion Roots, was well received. Despite being initially intended as a studio-based project, demand for live performances prompted Gigi, producer Bill Laswell and the numerous musical talents who contributed to the record to take Abyssinia Infinite out on the road.

This spiritual sound picks up right where Ethiopian music was forced to leave off in the mid-Seventies.

With its organic instrumentation, traditional arrangements and peerless pan-African backline, Abyssinia Infinite has kickstarted this new era of Ethiopian music with soul.

Starts 8pm. Tickets £14/£12, call 01273 709709.