At a party in 1983, Francis Falceto had an epiphany that changed his life. Falceto had been involved in music for many years, as a curator, programme planner and artistic adviser in his native France and elsewhere in Europe. One day, a friend brought him a vinyl LP from Africa. “I played it at that party and was totally amazed. I made cassettes and sent them to friends who knew African music and they all said: ‘What’s that?’ Not only was this great, it was also totally unknown.”

Once he had deciphered the unfamiliar alphabet on its sleeve, the LP in question proved to be Erè Mèla Mèla by Ethiopian singer Mahmoud Ahmed. It sent Falceto in search of other music from the lost golden age of Swinging Addis Ababa. The resulting series of compilations, Ethiopiques, now runs to more than 20 volumes. Its admirers include Elvis Costello, who says “the spoilt complaints of western pop musicians pale into insignificance compared to the defiant human spirit contained in these recordings”. Last year Ahmed won a Radio 3 Award for World Music and this year Falceto himself was honoured with Radio 3’s World Shaker award for his contribution to world music. On Friday, several of the stars of the series, including Ahmed, will play a sold-out one-off concert at the Barbican in London, the first time they have shared a stage.