After more than two decades immersed in the traditions of Ethiopian music—including eleven years living in Addis Ababa—New York-based violinist, composer, and bandleader Kaethe Hostetter is set to release her debut solo album under the moniker K8A. Titled Woradj Alle (Impressions of Ethiopia), the record is scheduled for release on April 20, 2026, via Domino Sound in New Orleans.
The album marks a deeply personal milestone for Hostetter, described as a “magnum opus” that distills decades of study, experience, and observation into a singular artistic statement. Domino Sound, celebrated for its reissues of classic Ethiopian recordings, provides a fitting home for the project, aligning the release with the label’s rich musical legacy.
“The completion of this album coincides with my being named a 2026 Jerome Foundation Awarded Artist at Roulette Intermedium—one of my favorite creative spaces in New York,” Hostetter said in a statement to Capital. “As part of that honor, I’ll be presenting a multimedia expansion of Woradj Alle on their stage in April, bringing the music into the immersive visual world I always imagined for it.”
Built from live-looped violin and electronics, Woradj Alle weaves Ethiopian melodic systems with the textures of dub minimalism and improvisation. Rather than a simple fusion of genres, Hostetter frames the work as a form of “transmission,” with each track functioning as a vignette inspired by specific people, fleeting encounters, and atmospheres from her years in Ethiopia.
The album’s title, drawn from the Amharic phrase meaning “let me off around here,” references the ubiquitous minibus taxis of Addis Ababa, where journeys unfold in fragments. Hostetter envisions the record as an invitation for listeners to “step off into these sonic environments—where memory, place, and time dissolve into layered violin architecture.”
The release also coincides with her multimedia presentation at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn, where archival footage from Ethiopia and behind-the-scenes material will complement the music, giving audiences a glimpse into the evolution of the album’s visual and sonic identity.
Hostetter is widely recognized for bridging American and Ethiopian musical worlds. She founded the Addis Ababa-based ensemble Qwanqwa and has collaborated with Ethiopian music legends such as Mahmoud Ahmed, Mulatu Astatke, and Teddy Afro, blending traditional Ethiopian sounds with experimental, modern, and electronic styles.
With Woradj Alle, Hostetter offers listeners not just an album but a sonic memoir—an intimate journey through Ethiopia, filtered through her violin, memory, and imagination.
