benin city are the london-based three-piece comprised of vocalist and poet joshua idehen, vocalist shanaz dorsett with multi-instrumentalist tom leaper.
clubbing is a source of euphoria: a weekly, often daily escape, a respite from the grind. that culture and its landmarks – some of london’s best venues and many countless pubs - are slowly disappearing for good. on last night, which was recorded in all four corners of london with marc pell (micachu and the shapes), lv, rob marfarlane and james anderson, benin city take an album-long look at the dual nature of london’s nightlife.

on >from the horizon remixed< remixers lv, mwëslee, kelpe and fulgeance each revise their favourite tracks from debruits afro-beat surrealist album >from the horizon<. >from the horizon< splices the musical roots and subsequent evolutionary patterns of benin, ghana, niger, nigeria and beyond. driven by adventure, ideological principle and packed with intrigue, authenticity and tribute the album received critical acclaim from q, resident advisor, dazed & confused, quietus, xlr8r, the wire and beyond. debruits genre swerving combinations of instrumentation and style fuse west african musical expression with those of his own – from tribal beginnings through to 70s highlife and psychedelic afro funk – the album incorporates rather than emulates to create sounds new, unheard and above all fun. never does the albums depth displace its energy, groove or feel – and on >from the horizon remixed< debruit chose artists/remixers that continue to reward the listener with effortless enjoyment on many levels.
contains code for free mp3 download of this release.

more heavy tropical dancefloor sounds from sofrito!
two raw slabs of afro rhythms re-edited by frankie francis (sofrito) and simbad (raw fusion/brownswood). the second in the sofrito super singles series uncovers sounds from benin city in western nigeria.

a collection of super rare and highly danceable masterpieces recorded between 1969 - 1981 by four legendary composers from benin: antoine dougbe, el rego et ses commandos, honore avolonto, gnonnas pedro & his dadjes band each one of them with their own distinctive sound. this compilation comes with a 40 page full colour booklet with ultra rare pictures and biographies. fasten your seat belt and enjoy the mind blowing sound of benin.

afrobeat / jazz / hip hop

african music that will move your mind to this special combination of highlife, funk and jazz.

legendary afru-funk from benin back on 7 inch vinyl.

9 afrobeat gems on 180 gram vinyl.

oladele franck komolou stammt aus den voodoo-wäldern von benin und gründete 2013 in helsinki die band frankosun and the family. seitdem hat die band mit ihrer erstaunlichen musik, shows und energie die herzen der menschen erobert. stark beeinflusst von den rhythmen und der geschichte der nago.

das wort -nago- leitet sich vom wort -anago- ab, ein begriff, mit dem fon-sprechende menschen nago-yoruba-sprechende menschen in benin beschreiben. die nago-yoruba-gemeinschaft zeichnet sich durch den maskentanz guèlèdè aus - einen besonderen tanz, der reich an liedern, musik, epischen und lyrischen gedichten im rhythmus und klängen von tam-tam ist.

die band kombiniert hervorragend beninischen und nigerianischen afrobeat im stil der 70er und 80er jahre mit afrofunk und afrorock.

das erwartete debütalbum -frankosun and the family- wird im frühjahr 2020 in den formaten vinyl und digital veröffentlicht.

double vinyl in gatefold sleeve with 24 page lp-size booklet and download code for high quality wav / mp3 files.
a great compilation can open the gate to another world. who knew that some of the most exciting afro-funk records of all time were actually made in the small west african country of benin? once analog africa released the first african scream contest in 2008, the proof was there for all to hear, gut-busting yelps, lethally welldrilled horn sections and irresistibly insistent rhythms added up to a record that took you into its own space with the same electrifying sureness as any favourite blues or soul or funk or punk sampler you might care to mention.
ten years on, intrepid crate-digger samy ben redjeb unveils a new treasuretrove of vodoun-inspired afrobeat heavy funk crossover greatness. right from the laceratingly raw guitar fanfare which kicks off les sympathics’ pile-driving opener, it’s clear that african scream contest ii is going to be every bit as joyous a voyage of discovery as its predecessor. and just as you’re trying to get off the canvas after this one-punch knock out, an irresistible afro-ska romp with a more than subliminal echo of the batman theme puts you right back there. ignace de souza and the melody aces’ “asaw fofor- would’ve been a killer instrumental but once you’ve factored in the improbably-rich-to-the-point-of-being-nat-king-cole-influenced lead vocal, it’s a total revelation.

for over 40 years orchestre poly rythmo de cotonou has combined traditional beninese music with soul, funk, afrobeat, rhumba and cuban rhythms to create this infectious soundà hailing from benin, west africa, orchestre poly rythmo de cotonou has been churning out incendiary afro grooves since 1966. on bosq meets poly rythmo uptown, bosq tastefully reworks 4 of orchestre poly rythmo s legendary recordings. as a die-hard fan, bosq took a subtle approach to the project. according to him orchestre poly rythmo has been a strong influence on his work and he wanted to be respectful to the original tracks. bosq focused on making the tracks dj friendly by beefing up the low end, rearranging and stretching parts out, and adding in extra percussion and a drum machine. the result is a 4-track ep of bumpy afro disco, psychedelic funk, frenzied afrobeat, and sunny soulful grooves. based in medellin, colombia, bosq has released a collection of music on ubiquity records, soul clap records, fania records, razor-n-tape, and more. since 2015, sol power sound, out of washington, dc has released deep sounds inspired by rhythms and traditions from around the globe. the label s output includes afro-latin stompers, re-edits of lost disco grooves, heady percussive tech workouts, and other sonic treats. four stone-cold classic orchestre poly rythmo de cotonou tracks re-shaped by bosq for the dancefloor today..

sorgfältig zusammengestellte vinyl-kompilation mit remasterten afro-highlights.
aus dem ghanaischen musikstil highlife und us-amerikanischem jazz der 1960er-jahre fusionierte fela kuti einst das genre afrobeat. es hat in den vergangenen jahrzehnten schon so manche mutation erfahren, blieb aber immer eins: vitaler ausdruck ungebremster lebensfreude. wie attraktiv dieser auch für europäische ohren klingt, unterstreicht einmal mehr die lp-kompilation -wanted afrobeat-. sie ist bestandteil der exklusiven serie -wanted collection- des französischen labels wagram. die reihe widmet sich mit vier parallel veröffentlichten zusammenstellungen auf 180-gramm-vinyl den genres afrobeat, soul, funk und reggae, und damit dem besten, was black music zu bieten hat. was die editionen so besonders macht, ist neben dem sorgsam ausgewählten und remasterten songmaterial das ansprechende erscheinungsbild, das auf fotos des britischen fotografen chris steel-perkins zurückgeht. -wanted afrobeat- enthält neun songs von größen wie mulatu astatke, livy ekemezie, pat thomas und peter king.

limited to 500 copies only! emma ogosi has worn a lot of different hats in his career: former air force officer, guitarist with benin-based pogo limited, and husband and manager of nigerian reggae superstar, evi-edna ogholi. in 1981, he donned a sequined cowboy hat and released nobody knows. nobody knows is arguably the nigeria’s best – and perhaps only – disco country album.

african scream contest’ is the third release by the analog africa label. the project initially took off in august 2005 when label owner and vinyl collector samy ben redjeb arrived in cotonou, benin, “without any special expectations, just hoping to lay my hands on few good records - what i found in the process cannot really be described in words-. this first trip was followed by eight more to the region. thirty months and few thousand records later analog africa proudly presents this 14-track compilation. redjeb conducted 16 interviews in various cities in benin and togo with artists, producers and sound engineers to reconstruct the history of the 70s music scene for the 44 pages booklet which also features many rare photographs directly received from the artists. delve into the forgotten raw and psychedelic afro sounds from 70s benin and togo and experience the african scream contest. very, very limited copies in, and this might notcome in anymore.... tip!

eno louis gained a solid background in traditional edo music as a student at edo college in benin city, south-east nigeria. he lived at felas kalakuta republic till the army raid in 1978, when he moved to the us for a couple of years. on his return, he recorded with edo funk powerhouse the talents of benin, and quickly became a mainstay of the flourishing disco and boogie scene, in-demand as guitarist and drummer, with credits including releases by pogo ltd, amas grill, chris okotie, oby onyioha, chris mba, dizzy k falola, harry mosco, pat finn and the super elcados... to name just a few. the two tracks here are from louis debut lp, living in the usa.

lost sounds are the archives of a forgotten history. the raucously raw, vodoun-inspired rhythms of cotonou have confirmed benin as a mecca of 70s afro sounds and revived the story of its people, but the unopened vaults housing the countrys catacombs of musical riches are endless. with this as our compass, analog africa charters its fifth expedition to benin, traveling far north to delve deeper into the obscured repertoires and tales of the bariba and dendi people.

die trompetenkraehe leitet ja bekanntlicherweise jedes jahr den frühling ein. aus diesem grund witmen nun die herren dole&kom dem schuechtenem fruehbrueter ein staendchen auf ackerdub !!!rundfunk3000 schliessen sich dieser huldigung an und remixten auch eine lobeshymde auf den fruehling und dem seltenem getier

funky town it the aswer from cmc & silenta for all the people out there who only knew their mashup releases. the first single featured by mc penny out of benin (west africa) goes straight to the legs and was made for the dancfloor. with this unique lightnes and funky riffs its somthing for the summer festivals and club nights all over the world.
the killer remixes from nick thayer, slynk & zamali will get you straight to the dance floore. nick did an amazing ghettofunk anthem out of it, with a rolling bass line and catching up the the funky gitare licks. slynk whiped the track up with a brass hook to bring back the late 60s funk feeling combined with his unique disco style. the last remix on this 12 inch is a great afro beat remix by zamali, to bring back the heat in the rhythm of the night.

four years in the making, analog africa finally presents the second volume of africas funkiest band, the mythical orchestre poly rythmo de cotonou. volume one (the vodoun effect - funk & sato from benins obscure labels, 1973 - 1975), released by analog africa at the end of 2008, was a collection of amazing lo fi recordings produced for various labels around benin. volume two showcases superbly recorded tracks, courtesy of the emi studios in lagos, nigeria, one of the best studios in the region. all tracks here were recorded for the mighty albarika store label and its enigmatic producer, adissa seidou.

support by luciano, sven vath & villalobos !! quick & dirty is a dirty track indeed. a fat bassline accompanied by some irresistible electro-ish groove provide the fierce backbone for this mighty dancefloor bomb! twisted synth sounds and other schizophrenics, supply for the craziness we all love. benin is another killer track with a minimal pace, a housey rhythm and spooky atmospherics, topped up by killer female vocals. ltd repress !!!

support by luciano, sven väth & villalobos !! quick & dirty is a dirty track indeed. a fat bassline accompanied by some irresistible electro-ish groove provide the fierce backbone for this mighty dancefloor bomb! twisted synth sounds and other schizophrenics, supply for the craziness we all love. benin is another killer track with a minimal pace, a housey rhythm and spooky atmospherics, topped up by killer female vocals. ltd repress

some notorious electronic music talents have started their careers as percussionists. and so did yaya, but his tale is different to all the rest. his new release for desolat takes a unique, upbeat approach to 4/4 beats: combining heartfelt benin influences - samples from dialogue and traditional ballads - with the stretched-out tension and release of balearic and the bubbling pops and stutters of tech house, plus the occasional kickback to a commodore64 high score melody. raised in turin, italy, rhythm was his lifeblood for yassin legali, also known as yaya, from an early age. his father was the lead vocalist and percussionist for mbamina, a band consisting of musicians from benin, zaire, italy and cameroon. mbamina released eight albums, collaborated with artists like manu dibango and salif keita, were sponsored by paco rabanne and played all over africa, including a show for the presidents of senegal and france. their final show was with james brown in paris in 1985 - the year yaya was born. well-versed in his fathers legacy, yaya grew up playing drums and djembe, and at the age of 15, began performing as a percussionist in turin clubs. just one year later, he was already djing, playing funk, soul, afrobeat, house and garage. manu dibango and fela kuti found a spot in his crate next to records by masters at work and dimitri from paris: contrasts of rhythm and structure that pervade his music to this very day.

el rego is a true legend of african soul music. here for the first time on album are 12 of his greatest recordings from the late 60s and early 70s hand-picked by daptone records. afro-soul collector/ dj frank gossner had spent years combing west africa tracking down 45s by theophile do rego (aka el rego) before finally meeting him face to face in his home in benin. from that relationship came this album, which we present to you here in a 20 page hardcover bookcase cd featuring el regos own story of his life and music along with pictures from his personal collection and artwork from his original 45s. the music has been remastered with great care, and the vinyl contains an exclusive bonus 45 (while supplies last) of se na min, one of his most sought after afro-funk tracks, backed with e ma non tin me, a beautiful and somewhat more traditional song about two blind men who agree to go together and leap to their deaths into a river.