African Scream Contest compilation - Analog Africa
To be clear: Analog Africa isn’t an artist. It’s the German reissue label that mines the deep but mostly ignored record shop bins of of the global south and finds one gem after another.
The wild, bustling creative culture and the everything-goes attitude of 20th century record producers of West Africa make this a fantastic document.
The bandcamp page lays out the influences:
Like most modern music in French-speaking West African countries, the music of Benin and Togo was influenced by a few main musical currents: Cuban, Congolese and local traditional music, as well as Chanson Francaise. Additionally, the geographical location of Benin and Togo - sandwiched between Ghana and Nigeria - exposed Beninese and Togolese musicians to Highlife music.
But it’s really its own concoction. Great stuff.
