Psalm 68 says Ethiopia will stretch out her hands to Elohim, one of the Hebrew Bible’s names for God, and Rastafari read the verse as prophecy, fulfilled when Haile Selassie I took the Ethiopian throne in 1930. Julian Asher, a reggae singer from Cape Town now living in Berlin, paraphrased it in the notes to his debut EP, Haile Abeba Sound, and on “Elohim” he builds a whole song around the name. He sings of a He and a She arriving at full strength to reclaim an ancient throne from those who lead people astray, and calls on Abba and Selassie I by name across the verses.

The music comes from Downtown Steppas, a Berlin backing band who also build their own riddims. The partnership goes back to “Perilous” in 2022, and “Just Cause”, a single Asher cut over the band’s Fantasia riddim, now shares its name with their first album together. Just Cause was recorded last winter, from songs singer and band had been playing together for years.

Stream “Elohim” HERE