Born from the love for the golden age of Ethiopian music, trumpet player Raphaël Anker decided in 2007 to gather some musicians to play Ethiopian music. The Swiss musicians explored the sound of Tlaloun Gessesse, Getatchew Mekurya, Mulatu Astatke and Mahmoud Ahmed. Soon it was obvious this was not a one time concert. They named themselves Imperial Tiger Orchestra, a nod to the  Imperial Bodyguard Band from Addis-Abeba and a joke about tigers in Africa. A music trip to  Addis-Abeba gave the band the inspiration for the album Mercato (2009). A re-interpretation of Ethiopian music's golden age mixed with the digitalized themes that appeared in the 80s and filtered through the eclectic influences of the Orchestra. You may hear Thai, Indian or electronic instruments in their music. Every show of the Imperial Tiger Orchestra is a party. It's almost impossible to resist the urge to let you inner Ethiopian out, all you want is to clap and dance.