Sunday, March 2, 2008

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo

A while back someone sent me a Youtube clip of some puppets playing a wild psychedelic Afro beat song. Yes puppets. The song is amazing and speaks for itself. It is full of loud yelps and lo-fi wickedness.

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Contonou Dahomey turn out to be from Benin (formally called Dahomey), a small country on the West coast of Africa. According to the WFMU blog, Beware of the Blog, Orchetre Poly-Rythmo have put out 50 LPs and 100s of EPs. Two amazing ones come from the blog Analog Africa, which is putting out what should be an amazing comp on the travels and research of the author. The blog has some free samples that are worth checking out.
Here are 2 tracks from O.P.R that are from a lost master tape found in some recording studio in Benin recently. They are completely distorted and fuzzed out...making them sound like an African White Light/White Heat. Ahouli Vou Yelli has this John Cale organ solo that will melt your brain.


Turns out Soundways released a compilation of some of the bands greatest hits. Definitely worth the money.



3 comments:

AB said...

i believe that the puppets are in fact playing

William said...

the guitarist puppet is killing it

Jonathan said...

Dude, I love this shit.