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One of the most incredible African collections we've ever heard – almost more amazing than the African Scream Contest set from the same label! The package focuses on work by Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou – a group who really live up to their name, by bringing in a host of complicated rhythms to their music – including the "sato" groove, which is kind of a modern funky take on older voodoo modes! Production is often echoey – in ways that dub out the bass and drums nicely – and make the guitar parts sound nice and sinister – the vocals too, for that matter, even though we can't ever understand the lyrics. The music was originally recorded for a variety of different labels, but is brought together here beautifully – and the great vinyl version has loads of notes inside the gatefold and on the inner sleeves that not only tells the tale of the group, but also that of all the labels – then follows the whole thing up with a discography as well – a real labor of love that's as much of a visual treat as it is a sonic delight. Titles include "Se We Non Nan", "Ako Ba Ho", "Mi Ni Non Kpo", "Assibavi", "Mi Homlan Dadale", "Iya Me Dji Ki Bi Ni", "Mawa Mon Nou Mio", and "Koutoulie".

One of the deepest digs we've ever seen into the rich array of grooves from Colombia – a double-length page that covers a much wider range of sounds than you might expect! Colombia's unusual amongst Latin American nations, in that it's got kind of a "crossroads" sort of role – a place where other South American sounds come into contact with music from North America, the Caribbean, and even Africa as well – resulting in some mighty heavy styles that are perfectly summed up on this LP! The package is way more than just an armchair look at Colombia – and is heavy on the sorts of funk and offbeat grooves we've come to expect from the Analog Africa label – a key imprint in bringing the sounds of the globe to Anglo groove diggers like us. Rhythm is definitely at the core – as promised in the title – but the package also has plenty of great notes to help us understand the rich cultural history as well. Titles on this first volume of the vinyl include "Calambre" by Conjunto Barbacoa, "Lumbalu" by Calixto Ochoa & Los Papaupas, "Schallcarri" by Grupo Abharca, "El Caterete" by Wganda Kenya, "Enyere Kumbara" by Julian Y Su Combo, "Wasamaye" by Wasamaye Rock Group, "Bajo El Troupillo Guajiro" by Sexteto Manaure, "Pegale A La Nalga" by Fuentes All Stars, "Juipiti" by Grupo Folclorico, and "Shakalode" by Wganda Kenya.

The second volume of rare Afrofunk from Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou from Analog Africa – a killer set of material recorded at EMI Studios in Lagos, Nigeria for the Albarika Store label – impeccable sounding and feverishly played by the group! This one's fairly jaw dropping, catching us off guard, even, and we were floored by first volume, too. The group mixes Benin style Afrobeat and rhythms, killer percussion, and really great vocals with funk, soul, and strains of psychedelia – unpredictable predictable stylistic shifts from one number to the next, and some of the drum and bass interplay is just dynamite. Comes in a beautiful package with a thick booklet of notes & photos. Titles include "Se Ba Ho", "Mi Ve Wa Se"", "Ahouli Vou Yelli", "Malin Kpon O", "Mede Ma Gnin Messe", "Zizi", "Houe Djeun Nada", "Minkou E So Non Moin".

One of the coolest African collections we've seen in years – a beautiful assortment of untapped grooves from the 70s, put together with a massive booklet that sets a whole new standard in packaging! The grooves here are different from other Afro Funk collections of the time – definitely more in the raw and psychedelic territory promised by the title, and filled with hard-edged vocals that surely know how to scream! There's still plenty of funk in the rhythms, but the execution is often quite unusual – less directly influenced by American soul, and very much off in its own direction. Lots of choppy guitar, too – and the set comes with a massive 42 page booklet filled with full color images and loads of notes. Titles include "Gbeti Madjro" by Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo De Cotonou, "Mi Ma Kpe Dji" by Picoby Band D'Aborney, "Mi Kple Dogbekpo" by Lokonon Andre & Les Volcans, "Oya Ka Jojo" by Les Volcans De La Capital, "Ou C'Est Lui Ou C'Est Moi" by Vincent Ahehehinnou, "Wait For Me" by Roger Damawuzan, "Leki Santchi" by Napo De Mi Amor Et Ses Black Devils, "Ye Nan Lon An" by Orchestre Super Jheevs Des Paillotes, and "Houiou Djin Nan Zon Aklumon" by Discafric Band.

One of the deepest digs we've ever seen into the rich array of grooves from Colombia – a double-length page that covers a much wider range of sounds than you might expect! Colombia's unusual amongst Latin American nations, in that it's got kind of a "crossroads" sort of role – a place where other South American sounds come into contact with music from North America, the Caribbean, and even Africa as well – resulting in some mighty heavy styles that are perfectly summed up on this LP! The package is way more than just an armchair look at Colombia – and is heavy on the sorts of funk and offbeat grooves we've come to expect from the Analog Africa label – a key imprint in bringing the sounds of the globe to Anglo groove diggers like us. Rhythm is definitely at the core – as promised in the title – but the package also has plenty of great notes to help us understand the rich cultural history as well. Titles on the first volume include "Santana En Salsa" by Crecencio Camacho, "La Motilona" by Los Alegres Diablos, "Pajaro Madrugador" by Alfredo Gutierrez, "La Bulla" by Los Curramberos De Guayabal, "Busca La Careta" by Andres Landero, "La Cascada" by Pianonegro, "Eco En Stereo" by Sonora Dinamita, "La Veterana" by Peyo Torres, "Lluvia" by Sonora Tropical, and "Agoniza El Magadlena" by Ramiro Beltran.

Raw, amazing grooves sailing the Afro Beat Airways – organ flavored Afro funk, soul & psychedelia from West African Ghana & Togo in the 70s – one of best compilations yet on the increasingly awe inspiring Analog Africa label! The African percussion is raw and danceable and funk steeped, and most of the numbers have a range of really cool organ sounds, and vocals that range from insistently melodic singing to to funky shouts. From there, the groove is more varied. There's strains of tried & true Afro funk & soul, larger group jazzy jams and more stripped down cosmic and psych influenced nuggets. Exhaustive research on the part of Analog Africa is distilled into a riveting, yet nicely diverse and pretty much perfect compilation with great sound, beautiful packaging and a wealth of notes. 2LP version has 16 tracks in all (2 more than the CD): "Dankasa" by Uppers International, "Ma Mserew Me" by Apoagya Show Band, "Come Along" by Ebo Taylor & The Pelicans, 'Afe Ato Yen Bio" by De Frank Professionals, "Awula Bo Fee Ene" by Orchestre Abass, "Ne Noya" by Cos-Ber-Zam and more, plus the vinyl exclusives "Obiye Saa Wui" by 3rd Generation Band and "Operation Bye-Bye" by Orchestre Abass.

Raw sound, indeed – and possibly one of the most hard-hitting compilations so far from the Analog Africa label! There's a quality here that's mighty fresh, and which shows us that there's still plenty of African nuggets to find, if you know where to dig! Much of the music has a dark, moody quality that's really striking – still the grooves you'd expect, but an exotic undercurrent that's almost like Ethiopian music – although very much it's own vibe too! The mix is really wonderful, and makes these tracks from Burkina Faso a rich musical discovery – one that's very thoughtfully put together by the Analog Africa label, with their usual strong attention to sound and detailed notes – not to mention a very handsome package. Titles include "Kabendo" by Konde Mangue, "Sie Koumgolo" by Coulibaly Tidini, "Rog Mik Africa" by Orchestre CVD, "Kodjougou" by Abdoulaye Ciess, "Dambakale" by Compaore Issouf, "Tink Tank" by Afro Soul System, "Love Music & Dance" by Mamo Lagbema, and "Johnny" by Amadou Ballake Et Super Volta.

A wide range of electric Angolan music from the late 60s through early 70s – one of the finest compilations yet on the Analog Africa label! The music is a feverish mix of traditional Luandan island rhythms and other regional and global influences – but ultimately the way this sonic tapestry is woven is unique to Luanda and has a style an energy all its own, and too rarely heard on record and all these years later! There's a lot great electric guitar grooves not unlike what was going on in nearby Congolese recordings at the time, Latin and Caribbean percussion and feverishly rhythmic energy, and mix of vocal numbers and instrumentals. Wonderful stuff that's unique to region, but with recognizable global influences – hypnotic, heavily percussive, perfectly danceable rhythms underneath an incredible guitar sound. 18 tracks in all: "Rei Do Palhetinho" by Mamukueno, "Comboio" by Os Kiezos, "Ilha Virgem" by Jovens Do Prenda, "Pachanga Maria" by Os Bongos, "Mi Cantando Pari Ti" by N'Goma Jazz, "Macongo Me Chiquita" by Ferreira Do Nascimento, "Uma Amiga" by David Ze, "Pica O Dedo" by Africa Ritmos, "Massanga Mama" by Africa Show and more. Analog Africa does the material with reverence and deep respect, with a wealth of notes and photos in the gatefold and on the inner sleeves, offering a much richer perspective.

Funky and trippy at the same time – a wonderful batch of grooves from Super Borgou De Parakou – an overlooked group from Benin with a very unique sound! The rhythms are tight, and production often has these crispy little edges that make for some nice touches of fuzz where you might not normally expect – almost like psychedelic elements that creep into the music in the way the guitars and vocals are recorded! The approach is almost a garage take on Afro Funk, with some sweet 60s undercurrent that no doubt come from the production on the tunes – and which really serves to help this set stand out from the pack. As with other excellent sets on the Analog Africa label, this one's filled with rich notes on the group – helping you locate their wonderful music in a deeper cultural and historical framework – and also as usual for the label, you get plenty of music for your money – 15 tracks that include "Gandigui", "Me Ton Le Gbe", "Bori Yo Se Mon Baani", "Aske", "Ko Guere", "Dadon Gabou Yo Sa Be No 2", "Binin Hounnin", and "Sembe Sembe Boudou".

Massive music we've never heard before – a really heavy helping of grooves from the Ivory Coast – an African scene that's hardly been tapped by crate diggers and collectors! There's a really fresh feel to the grooves overall – not just the familiar Afro Funk modes, but a nice range of styles that moves between rootsy local numbers through some great crossover styles, through even a few of the African Disco modes that are better known from other scenes! The tracks here are all massively funky – scoured out over the course of a number of different crate-digging trips to the coast – and the package presents the music with great images of the original record covers, too – so that you can still retain some of the feel of the rarity of the work, even though the collection presents things in an easy to handle format. Definitely one for fans of Soundway and Analogue Africa titles – with cuts that include "True Love" by Rato Venance, "Yatchiminou" by Jimmy Hyacinthe, "Kalabuley Woman" by Pierre Antoine, "Mammy Nia" by Nguessan, "Wazi Doble" by Gougoumangou, "Zadie Bobo" by Ernesti Djedje, "Unite" by Moussa Doumbia, "Mon Falou Nan" by Soro N Gana Et L'Orchestre Guilana-na, "Onginwe" by Prince Dgibs, and "Essemon Moupoh" by Jean Guehi.

A record with a really timeless feel, and a great mix of classic and contemporary – rootsy Ghanaian instrumentation, modern production, and just a touch of electronics – all wrapped up in a mix that's mighty nice – and one that's a lot more earthy than you might expect! Bola's not exactly in Konono territory, but his approach isn't that far off, either – as there's a core element to the music that relies strongly on older traditions – and an execution that just makes slight use of contemporary electronics – often used very sparely, just to underscore the key aspects of the music – in ways that almost make the acoustic elements sound even more fragile and crisp! The set's hardly a remix-type project, and has a gritty appeal that goes way beyond any of the too-sweetly recorded sessions of recent years – almost more in an Analogue Africa mode overall. Titles include "Yine Mmema", "Abayetidu Ma", "Hoyenbesa Nini", "Makamiba", and "Burilbunbol Suma".