Tena Stelin takes his name from the Amharic language of Ethiopia, which, translated, means “greetings”. He began his career in the late 80s as a UK-based vocalist with the Conscious Sounds label and initially enjoyed a roots hit with “Can’t Touch Jah”. Much of the recording for the Conscious Sounds collective’s output took place at the Manasseh studio run by sound system operator Nick Manasseh. The UK roots scene enjoys a cult following, with releases appearing on cassette corresponding with African rather than reggae recordings.