Prejudice is a terrible thing. Way back in 1975, when I was living in Nigeria in the midst of the golden age of one of the most vibrant popular music scenes on the planet, I bought a couple 45 rpm 7" singles of a band from Benin (the country, not the city) called Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo de Cotonou, rumored to be that country's best popular music group. But the singles were unimpressive...undistinguished, somewhat out-of-tune, funky but aimless songs of the type I heard all the time in local Nigeria clubs. Compared to what I was hearing from the likes of Fela (then) Ransome-Kuti, Sunny Ade, Victor Uwaifo, Ebenezer Obey, Sonny Okosun, The Oriental Brothers and many more, Orchestre Poly-Rhyhmo de Contonou didn't seem worth bothering with. As a result, I paid no attention to other recordings by them that I occasionally came across. Flash forward to the New Millenium. In the 2000's, collections of recordings by Orchestra Poly-Rhythmo began to be reissued internationally on CD. A re-formed version of the band even came to New York and played a show or two. I didn't bother to check the reissues or shows out; I thought I already knew what Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo was all about and was not motivated to hear them. How wrong I was!
By chance, I came across a couple of Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo tracks on compilations of West African Afro-pop and was struck by the uniqueness and appeal of their sound. As a result I recently laid out $18 with Amazon to acquire a collection of vintage Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo de Contonou singles called "The Voudoun Effect", issued by the redoutable Analog Africa label (www.analogafrica.blogspot.com) , which specializes on rescuing from oblivion rare African popular music that may only exist on vinyl copies in personal collections. In many cases, the original master tapes have been lost or were destroyed. In short, crucial swaths of Africa (and Arab, Asian and Latin) music history is being preserved by such CD re-issues by the likes of Analog Africa, Soundway(www.soundwayrecords.com), Sublime Frequencies(www.sublimefrequencies.com) etc, labels run by music hunters going out into the field and collecting rare vinyl from far-flung locales.
Putting "The Voudoun Effect" into the cd player, I wondered what I'd hear. The first track was nice but unspectacular, a catchy, light number rooted in local rhythms, with the predictable out-of-tune horns and sprightly electric guitar. The second cut immediately kicked things up with Afrobeat/juju rooted groove and intertwined Congo-style guitar; a couple minutes in, it became mesmerizing. Benin (formerly Dahomey) is a small country adjacent to Nigeria; it has a significant population of Yoruba peoples and/or people embracing Yoruba culture. That explains the Afrobeat/juju vibe in Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo's music. But their blend is fresh, eclectic, not simply derivative. Elements of Congo (which is what the popular music styles of Zaire and Congo-Brazzaville was called back then) music, rock (psychedelic rock influenced many West African musicians in the early Seventies), funk, rhythms and melodies of traditional local musics, highlife, Afro-Cuban music, jazz and more were shifting components of Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo's sound. They were one of the most varied popular groups in West Africa
One track, "Nouessenename", began with a melody that seemed very close to a certain voodoo hymn I have heard. This is no coincidence as Dahomey was a center of the slave trade and slaves were taken from there to Haiti, among other places. What is called voodoo in Haiti is derived from the Dahomean varient of Yoruba Orisha religion. Essential to vodoun spirituality are some of the most complex polyrhythms on the planet. Thus, no surprise, Orchestra Poly-Rhythmo's music frequently uses these rhythms to create a hypnotic, transcental pulse.
For much of its heyday, Orchestra Poly-Rhythmo was under exclusive contract to one label--Albarika Store (which incidently was the label on the 45's I had originally purchased in 1975). But like many musicians around the world, Orchestra Poly-Rhythmo did side recordings for many other producers and labels. The recordings of "The Vodoun Effect" are drawn from these "moonlight" recordings from varioius labels. Compiler Samy Ben Redjeb has done a brilliant job of selecting the creme-de-la-creme of these recordings for this compilation; I'd say 80% of the tracks are excellent, many of them killer. Many of them instantly conjure for me the atmosphere of the many Nigerian outdoor bars or nightclubs I frequented during my three-year stay in Nigeria....a scene of scattered metal tables and chairs around a concrete patio underneath the stars, bottles of Heineken and Star beer crowding the tables, a swaying crowd of dancers undulating in easy-rolling waves to the rhythms churned out by the band ensconsed underneath a tin-roof overhang along one wall. The music would go on for many hours, the sounds reverberating into the night sky, earth-vibrating percussion and spare, hypnotic, repeated electric bass riffs, often played high up on the bass' neck, generating a vibration in the bellies and groins of the crowd. When the band was medicore, it was a tolerable way to while the night away; when the band was great it was heavenly, the whole scene cohering into something that levitated you. On the evidence of "The Vodoun Effect", a night with Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo de Cotonou in one of those clubs would have been heaven.
Analog Africa has put out a collection entitled "Echos Hypnotiques 2" of the band's Albarika Store recordings. I have not yet heard it but I'm going to get it. Soundway has a compilation entitled Kings Of Benin: Urban Grove 1972. I haven't checked for overlap yet. And there is a very enjoyable compilation of vintage music from Benin entitled "Legends Of Benin", featuring artists such as Gnonnas Pedro, El Rego, and Antoine Dougbe, none of whom were known to me previously. A collection entitled "African Scream Contest" brings together vintage tracks from Benin and Togo, including three from Orchestra Poly-Rhythmo de Contonou; this last collection is less exciting to me. Sometimes Western afficianado's of African (or other styles from around the world) become infatuated with obscure music as much for the idea of it as for the actual quality of the music. But even on that collection there is some nice stuff.
Meanwhile, I could play "The Vodoun Effect" every day. I recommend it highly and strongly urge you to play it over a decent sound sytem with some good speakers to get the fully-effect. This is not ear-bud music! Thanks to Analog Africa for making this music available and saving a piece of African musical histry that might otherwise have disappeared!
Great to read ..now I have to find it....Tim
Posted by: Tim Hayes | 02/23/2011 at 06:26 PM