If you haven't yet had the pleasure of seeing Sydney-based musician Dereb the Ambassador, we suggest you latch onto this opportunity with both hands and hold on tight.

Born in Ethiopia, Dereb Desalegn (aka Dereb the Ambassador) grew up surrounded by a family of musicians, and from an early age was completely immersed in his home countrys richly unique melange of sounds, rhythms and musical styles. Now based in Sydney, Dereb's musical career has gained considerable momentum over the past year with the release of an acclaimed debut album and several Australian performances at venues in Sydney and Melbourne as well as at larger festivals such as Womadelaide.

As word about Dereb continues to spread, his mind-blowing vocal talents and addictive brand of Ethio-soul enthrals a growing fan base of happily music-savvy folk who know there's more to life than three-chord guitar rock. Backed by a ridiculously tight seven-piece ensemble that boasts some of the hardest-working musicians on the Sydney scene, Dereb the Ambassador taps into territory hitherto uncharted on local stages, and in doing so breathes a kaleidoscope of texture into the possibilities for music in Australia.

His repertoire unites a classic jazz-fusion sounds of 60s-70s Ethiopia now becoming increasingly popular around the globe, as well as shoulder-shakingly rhythmical incarnations of traditional Ethiopian tunes, and of course a swagful of spicy, hypnotic originals.

As some will know, Dereb the Ambassador has been garnering considerable interest abroad, having not long returned from a tour of Ethiopia and a festival performance in Korea. Fans will be delighted to hear that both Dereb and the band are freshly fired up and looking forward to unveiling new material based on their recent experiences on the road.

And as if that's not enough: supporting Dereb are the cheeky, self-proclaimed 21st-century diasporic hip-hopsters, the Asthmatix. This energetic four-piece perform uniquely daring feats of genre-crossing to create a dizzying mash-up of klezmer, hip hop, middle eastern melodies and good old-fashioned turntablism that's more than worth checking out live.

Sounds hot? You betcha. This one is set to strike the musical motherlod... definitely not to be missed!