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Legends Of Benin

$22.99 ... CD

Brilliant work from Benin -- an ear-opening compilation that's filled with wonderful grooves we've never heard before! The rhythms are unusual, instrumentation hypnotic, and vocals really offbeat -- making the whole thing sound very different than more familiar African work we've stocked -- especially some of the better-known grooves from the Nigerian scene! There's an occasional hint of the exotic tones of Ethiopian music, but the rhythms are more focused overall -- making the tunes all pretty groove-heavy, even when dropping in odd elements -- an approach that makes the music here very easy to get into -- even without any sort of history or geography lesson. But the booklet also provides plenty of that -- a great story of the scene, and some wonderfully personal notes from compiler Samy Ben Radjeb -- who's very open about his slow process of discovering this music. The whole package is beautiful, and the set's every bit as crucial as Radjeb's earlier African Scream Contest collection. Titles include "La Musica En Verite" and "Dadje Von O Von Non" by Gnonnas Pedro et Ses Dadjes, "Feeling You Got" and "E Nan Mian Nuku" by El Rego Et Ses Commandos, "Ya Mi Ton Gbo" and "Honton Soukpo Gnon" by Antoine Dougbe, "Dou Dagbe We" by Honore Avolonto Et L'Orchestre Black Santiago, "Djobime" by El Rego Et Ses Commandos, and "Na Mi Do Gbe Hue Nu" by Honore Avolonto.  © 1996-2009, Dusty Groove America, Inc.