Various Artists / African Scream Contest
Album: African Scream Contest   Collection:World
Artist:Various Artists   Added:Dec 2008
Label:Analog Africa  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2009-01-11 Pull Date: 2009-03-15
Week Ending: Mar 8 Mar 1 Feb 22 Feb 15 Feb 8 Feb 1 Jan 25 Jan 18
Airplays: 2 2 2 5 6 2 2 2

Recent Airplay
1. Apr 10, 2014: Global Warming in the Afternoon
Wait For Me
4. Mar 07, 2009: Scatterbrain Radio
It's A Vanity
2. Apr 10, 2010: Scatterbrain Radio
It's A Vanity
5. Feb 28, 2009: New World Disorder
Congolaise Benin Ye
3. Mar 07, 2009: New World Disorder
Wait For Me
6. Feb 25, 2009: The Heart of KZSU
Oya Ka Jojo

Album Review
Sadie O.
Reviewed 2009-01-11
Coll: African Scream Contest
Reviewed by Sadie O., 1/1/09
Funky garage rock/soul/highlife from 1970’s Benin and Togo. Interesting combination of influences, very home-grown musicianship. Loveable stuff – very rootsy in a garage sense (although with obvious African roots as well), fun to listen to. I gave a wide range of stars, but all tracks are really good and deserve a listen or six.
No FCCs that I could hear (very little in English).
I must have liked 6, 7, 8, 12, and 14 best – although the last track is marred by having one of the best songs as a “hidden track”.
1. 3:56 **call and response intro, rather downtempo but highly poly-rhythmic swing with a hint of highlife. Rather alarming electric guitar solo midway.
2. 4:09 ***bass and brass-heavy midtempo shuffle with lots of psycho-garage feel, vodou handdrums.
3. 4:25 **a bit uptempo with a bit of Famous Flames and maybe a hint of Soul Makossa, nice squeaky sax, and vocals in English.
4. 3:23 ***uptempo with psychedelic farfisa and bass. Gnarly!
5. 3:27 **very swingy and groovy, with lots of keyboards, as well as chant and call & response vocals – trance-inducing in a way. Feel the orishas yet?
6. 2:56 ****uptempo bounce with electric guitars and screams. Yooooowwww!
7. 3:22 *****totally soulful, bass-heavy strut, funky vocals in English.
8. 5:00 ***funky soul strut, great bass and rhythm, call & response vocals in French.
9. 3:05 ****great uptempo garage-soul feel – lots of energy and near misses in pitch, and lots of screams.
10. 9:53 **pretty highlife swing, interesting mix of plinky instruments and brass. Quite long – call & response vocals don’t even start til 3 minutes along. Fine trumpet solo towards end of number.
11. 4:20 **swingy call & response with shakers and quite odd bass/guitar sound.
12. 3:01 ****funky yet deranged uptempo strut – afrobeat sound with strong bass and guitar.
13. 10:08 ***uptempo yet relaxed groove with lots of handdrums, very African-sounding vocals, in French. Farfisa solo!
14. 7:46 (2 tracks) ****funky, swingy, Afro-Cuban groove, totally discordant but loveable horns. Give em all the points for attitude and inherent funkiness, nothing for slickness cause they ain’t got none. At 9:13 (4:08 from end) there’s some talking in French; last 3:30 is a fine garage soul/rocker with lots of grunts and screams.


Track Listing
 ArtistTrack Name
1. Lokonon Andre & Lee Volcans Mi Kple Dogbekpo
2. Picoby Band D'abomey Mi Ma Kpe Dji
3. Bago Brown & Orchestre Poly-Rhyhmo It's A Vanity
4. El Rego Et Ses Commandoes Se Na Min
5. Napo De Mi Arnon Et Ses Black Devil's Leki Santchi
6. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou Gbeti Madjro
7. Roger Damawuzan Wait For Me
8. Ouinsou Cornelle & Black Santiagos Vinon So Minsou
9. Orchestre Super Jheevs Des Paillotes Ya Nan Lon An
10. Tidjani Kone & Orchestre Poly-Rythmo Djanfa Magni
11. Disafric Band Houiou Djin Nan Zon Aklumon
12. Le Super Borgou De Parakou Congolaise Benin Ye
13. Vincent Ahehehinnou Ou C'est Lui Ou C'est Moi
14. Les Volcans De La Capital Oya Ka Jojo