TITLE: Senegal 70: Sonic Gems & Previously Unreleased Recordings From The 70’s
LABEL: Analog Africa
Analog Africa and Teranga Beat, two superb crate-digging operations, team up for this set of Senegalese music just before and during the development of mbalax. The headline here is two previously unreleased tracks (3 and 11) by Orchestra Baobab, one of the finest groups to come out of post-colonial Africa. But that just scratches the surface of this remarkable compilation. There are three additional unheard items, including a revelation by Orchestre G.M.I. (2): part highlife, part funk and 100% Senegal. The rest of the material is deep cuts from bands that even African music enthusiasts probably don’t know. 5 is an unforgettable novelty salsa number, 6 is a soulful instrumental with virtuoso trumpet and psych-drenched organ, 10 is lovely early mbalax from a band that only lasted for a few years, and 1 is a trippy version of a West African standard featuring an uncharacteristically deep-voiced lead singer. The material is excellent throughout, sound quality is amazingly good, and of course none of these tracks has been previously anthologized. A high point in 2015 compilations.
TOP TRACKS: 1 2 3 5 6 10 11
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 4 7 8 9 12
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