Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou: Volume Two – Echos Hypnotiques Vinyl 2LP Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou

Second volume of deep afro-funk gems from Orchestre Poly-Rythmo. Analog Africa spent four years digging up these impossibly funky gems from the the mythical Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou band, and it was well worth the wait and effort. From the label: What had started as a children entertainment group became one of the greatest bands of their era. The idea for this compilation was born when Samy Ben Redjeb, founder and compiler of Analog Africa, received the addictive funk track “Malin Kpon O” released in 1975 on the Albarika Store Label. That discovery triggered the compilers curiosity and what followed was a long journey through the musical history of Benin and the history of its most important ambassador, Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou. The result: approximately 100 pictures, 120 master tapes, 20 hours of interviews and a few hundred Orchestre Poly-Rythmo vinyl records – 500 songs in total – some of which were previously unreleased. 15 out of 200 tracks were carefully selected for this compilation which comes with extensive liner notes with amazing pictures of the band and its members, a complete discography and a biography tracing the history of the bands from its foundation as Groupe Meloclem in 1964 via Sunny Blacks band (1965), Orchestre Poly-Disco (1966), El Ritmo (1967) and finally Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou in 1968. During the period presented here – 1969 to 1979 – the mighty Orchestra was without any doubt one of Africa’s most innovative group. Capable of playing any style of music, the band moved from Traditional Vodoun Rhythms to Funk, Salsa or Afro-beat seamlessly and quickly became the powerhouse of Benin’s music scene. Some of the planets most exciting rhythms are related to the complex Vodoun Religion born in Benin. Those rhythms, supported by chants and dances, have been transmitted from generation to generation and are still being performed to this date – a few hundred years after they were created. The composers and arrangers of Orchestre Poly-Rythmo understood that they were surrounded by a gold mine of inspirational sounds which, if modernised and mixed in with whatever was in fashion at that particular moment, could have a strong impact on the urban population. Those astonishing combinations can be heard here: Afro-Beat, Sato, Funk, Sakpata, Psychedelia and Latin sounds all mixed into a heavy hypnotic Sound – Les Echos Hypnotiques.

• gatefold sleeve
• printed inner sleeves w/ photos and liner notes
• fold-out poster
• music label: Analog Africa 2009

reviewed by TKB 06/2015