various: angola soundtrack

ltd repress. Double vinyl version, in deluxe gatefold sleeve and printed inner sleeves which replicate all of the liner notes from the CD version booklet. Subtitled: The Unique Sound Of Luanda 1968-1976. The nascent Angolan music scene was set on fire by a small group of intrepid singers, backed by an array of super-tight bands and led by extraordinary guitarists who revolutionized the musical and the political panorama of the '60s and '70s. A powerful confluence of traditional rhythms from Luanda's islands, psychedelic guitar sounds imported from neighboring Congo, Latin grooves, old school Caribbean merengue and the hard beat of the Angolan carnival bands conspired to create the modern music of Angola. These sounds were immortalized by two excellent recording companies -- Fadiang (Fábrica De Discos Angolano) and Valentim de Carvalho. The great electric bands of Angola were a well-kept secret until the late '90s when France-based music label Buda Musique released a short-lived series of Angolan music compiled by Ariel de Bigault. Inspired and taken aback, the releases proved to be a pivotal juncture for Analog Africa's founder Samy Ben Redjeb. From the nine Analog Africa releases thus far, Angola Soundtrack has been the most difficult to create. The travel visa was in itself a struggle and logistically and financially, Luanda is a nightmare. After two unsuccessful years, Samy eventually found shelter at a home in Prenda, a musseque (township) outside of the capital. With the support of Zé Keno, the legendary guitarist of Jovens Do Prenda, he managed to meet most of the composers of the tunes presented here. The anecdotes they provided are numerous. Boto Trindade, guitarist of Os Bongos, abandoned his dream of becoming a football player to support his brother's family by earning money as a musician. A very young Zé Keno went to see his favorite guitarist Marito performing with Os Kiezos and consequently built a three-stringed guitar only to become one of the most sought-after guitarists in the country a mere few years later. Angolan music is truly unique and stands on its own as a sound that can only be found in that part of the world. Rhythms such rebita, kazucuta, semba and merengue, all of which are presented in this latest compilation, might be unfamiliar, but they are superbly melodic, highly danceable, hypnotic, raw and quintessentially beautiful and totally addictive.