Filed under: Dahomey
♬ Se Djro
I have always been amazed by the sheer volume of great records from Benin. For a country about the size of a postage stamp (actually 43,483 square miles – but small nonetheless), the country formerly known as Dahomey produced major bands like Orchestre Poly-Rythmo (who released somewhere around 150 records) as well as many lesser known bands that released one or two singles. Unlike Nigeria and Ghana, where Highlife was the most popular form of music, the music of Benin was much more raw.
One of the best compilations to capture the sound of Benin, as well as neighboring Togo, is “African Scream Contest” on Analog Africa. In the liner notes, Samy Ben Redjeb explains how the musicians of the region integrated regional and foreign influences to produce a sound unlike anywhere else.
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 Benin and Togo – sandwiched between Ghana and Nigeria – exposed Beninese and Togolese musicians to Highlife music.
Benin’s two primary music importers – Afissoulai Lowani and Gbékin Hilaire, the founders of the labels Aux Ecoutes and Voix Africaine, respectively – were chiefly responsible for the development of the distribution channels for importing music into Benin, Highlife was imported from Accra and Lagos via the Philips and Decca record companies. Congolese rumba arrived from France via Khan (based in Marseille) and Sonodisc (based in Paris), as well as direct imports from Kinshasa and Brazzaville.
Cuban records were imported from New York and Miami via distribution plants in Abidjan. Chanson Francaise (especially Charles Aznavour and Johnny Halladay) was imported from France; French music was taught in schools and constantly played on national radio.
The cultural and spiritual riches of traditional Beninese music had an immense impact on the sound of Benin’s modern music. Benin is the birth place of Vodun (or, as it is commonly known in the West, Voodoo) and some of the rhythms used during traditional rituals – Sakpata, Sato, Agbadja, Tchenkoumé and many others – were fused to Soul and Latin music on early as the mid-60s and Later to Funk. Vodun was formally recognized by the Government of Benin in February 1996, and Ouidah remains its epicenter Ouidah is also home to a large Brazilian community – or, as they are called in Benin – Agoudas. Members of that community are descendents of slaves who returned from Brazil at the end of the 19th Century. Their dances (such as Kaléta and Buriyanii) and songs are still being preformed and fused into Beninese rituals. That, too, can be heard in modern Beninese music. Performers such as Ignace De Souza and Charles Rodriguez are Agoudas.
By 1968 a few labels – Albarika Store, Poly-Disco, Gretaissy and Aux Ecoutes – started recording local musicians using Nagra reel-to-reel recorders borrowed from the national radio station. The reels were then to Ghana, Nigeria, Belgium or France, where the matrices were manufactured and the vinyl pressed and released on such labels as Philips, Badejos Sound Studios, Songhoi, Riveria, etc. The first Benin artists who started recording were G. G. Vickey, Gnonnas Pedro, Picoby Band and Super Star de Ouidah, followed by El Rego, Sunny Blacks Band and Ignace De Souza.
In the late 60s Funk and Afrobeat started creeping into the region. In particular, the music of James Brown became immensely popular with university students. That’s when the music scene in Benin really started to take off. Most, if not all of the groups, started fusing all the genres mentioned above into a very distinctive sound that can only be found in that country, and made Benin into an incredible music melting pot unequalled in Africa. Bands combined Latin with Soul, Sakpata with Funk, Sate with Afrobeat, Punk with Break Beat – you name it and they probably tried it!
Other than the fact that Orchestre Black Dragons were from Porto-Novo, there is not a whole lot of information about them. They did release two other singles, both on the Albarika Store label. The song “E Sa F’Aiye” was included on the compilation “Off Track Vol 2 – Queens” which was put together by the crate diggers Kon & Amir.
Catalog number ASB 85 on Albarika Store of Cotonou, Dahomey, pressed in Lagos, Nigeria. No release date listed.
Filed under: Dahomey
El Rego et Ses Commandos were from Dahomey, now know as Benin.
On the African Scream Contest compilation, released by on Analog Africa, Samy Ben Redjeb interviewed Theophile Do Rego, which most people know as El Rego:
I was born on May 3, 1938, in Porto Novo. My family is originally from Ouidah. After childhood in Benin I was taken to Dakar in 1945 by a wealthy friend of my father; a usual practice at that time. It was at the school Medina de Dakar in 1952 that me and some other foreigners from Togo and Benin started a school band, which we named La Jazz De Dakar. I was the harmonica player I was back in Benin in early 1953 At that time Abela music from Ghana and Asiko from Nigeria – both kinds of Highlife – had taken over our radio waves. I started looking for musicians to form a new band, which I called La Jazz Hot. G.G. Vickey, a student at that time, became my guitar player.
At the end of 19531 left for Niamey in Niger. where I encountered a band called Los Cabanos. The lead singer was excellent, especially when performing rumba classics; and as is so often the case in Africa, he was soon pinched by a producer from Ivory Coast. I was a big fan of Franco; my favorite song was “Ele Wa Bolingo”. When the Cubanos guys heard me singing that tune they realized that they had found the perfect replacement. We had gigs in Ouagadougou all the time, so we were constantly shuttling between that town and Niamey. It didn’t take too much time before the government of Burkina Faso (haute Volta in those days) asked us to join forces with L’Orchestre Voltaique, which was the national orchestra. We used to jet-set between the countries of La Conseil de l’Entente, which was a kind of United States of Africa, comprising the Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger and Benin. I stayed with that formation for quite some time, eventually deciding to return to Cotonou in 1960.
At that time the talk of the town fr, Dahomey (Republic of Benin today) was Los Panchos of Gnonnas Pedro and La Sondas of the Belair Hotel. I decided toy and soon bought some musical equipment, including an amazing Contra-Bass, an instrument I had learned to play in Niger. I formed Daho Jazz in 1962. We used to play at the Black & White Club, if I remember correctly. The owner wouldn’t let us tour; which was so important to promote the music, so I left the group and joined Gnonnas Pedro’s Los Panchos. Later in 1963, I formed another band, which I called the Jets. The Jets became Los Paras, in ‘64, then Los Commandos in ‘65, and finally El Rago at Sas Commandos in ‘66. That’s when things got really serious for us, and we decided to start touring all the neighbouring countries, inciuding Ghana. It was in Ghana that I made my first appearance on TV and more importantly, where I hired Eddy Black Power, a soul singer whom I saw performing some James Brown stuff in Accra. He would later sing on a track called – “Feeling You Got” – Albarika’s first major hit.
Also, according to Frank Gossner of amazing Voodoo Funk blog, El Rego is still alive and well in Benin. Frank interviewed him for an upcoming documentary film called “Take Me Away Fast” by Leigh Iacobucci.
Since the initial posting of this song, it has since been included on the Analog Africa “Legends of Benin” compilation from 2009, which also features Antoine Dougbé, Gnonnas Pedro and Honoré Anolonto. In 2011, Daptone Records released a compilation CD and LP of the best of El Rego’s tracks. Rolling Stone posted part of the interview from “Take Me Away Fast” for the promotion of the compilation.
Catalog number L. A. 25 on Aux Ecoutes of Cotonou, Dahomey.
Filed under: Dahomey
Orchestre Picoby-Band were Abomey, which was the former capitol of the kingdom of Dahomey, which is now known as Benin.
Dahomey was under French rule until the country gained it’s independence in 1960. For the next 12 years, ethnic strife contributed to a period of turbulence. There were several coups and regime changes, with three main figures dominating – Sourou Apithy, Hubert Maga, and Justin Ahomadegbé – each of them representing a different area of the country. These three agreed to form a presidential council after violence had marred the 1970 elections. In 1972, a military coup led by Mathieu Kérékou overthrew the council. He established a Marxist government under the control of Military Council of the Revolution (CNR), and the country was renamed to the People’s Republic of Benin in 1975.
As for Orchestre Picoby-Band… This single was the first of three that they released in sequence on L.A. Aux Ecoutes. And I have read that they also released two other singles on the Albarika Store label. All of the songs on the L.A. Aux Ecoutes singles are credited to Avolonto Honore, who also wrote songs for fellow countymen El Rego and Orchestre Poly-Rhytmo, as well as recording under his own name.
On the African Scream Contest compilation, released by on Analog Africa, Samy Ben Redjeb interviewed Nicolas Gomez, who the band leader and guitarist of the Picoby-Band
The band formed in 1953. They were looking for a lead guitarist so I joined them in 1955. The first few years we really struggled, mostly because we had really crappy equipment! That changed radically in 1980. We had written to the cultural centre in Abomey asking for financial help; so did Renova Band, another great group from this town. The cultural centre didn’t have enough cash to support both groups so they decided to organize a competition, with the winner receiving 500.000 CPA. We won and with the cash we bought all kinds of instruments! We then participated in first national music festival, in 1965. The government would invite one band from each, (there were six states at the time). We represented Le Zou. At the end we came in third. La Sondas took first, followed by Annassoua Jazz.
In 1976 we participated in, the Festival des Arts et des Cultures. For that festival we changed our name to Echos du Zou. Super Borgou de Parakou won. We took second place with a traditional track containing revolutionary lyrics called Mi So Gbe. Although Orchestre PoIy-Rythmo was the better band, they made a few mistakes during that contest. The whole band arrived on their brand new motorbikes. Remember it was in 1976, we had the revolution going on here, and Benin was a socialist country at that time. I guess the jury didn’t like those bikes too much. Also. Poly-Rythmo were supposed to compose a song based on the traditional rhythms from their region, but they just played those crazy Jerks.
The two winners of that ‘76 contest, Super Borgou and us, were both going to represent Benin at Festac 77 in Lagos. Unfortunately our equipment was far too weak for such an important show, so we decided to team up with Poly-Rythmo – they had all those fancy Marshall and Orange amps. So we combined the three bands and became L’Orchesrte National du Benin. Mêlomê Clément was President de l’orchesrtre and Moussa Mama Djima was Chef d’orchesrtre. We came in second.
Catalog number LA 27 on L.A. Aux Ecoutes of Dahomey, pressed in Nigeria. No release date listed.
Filed under: Dahomey
D’Almeida Blucky et Les Black Santiago were from the city of Cotonou in Dahomey, now known as Benin.
Other than the fact that they obviously had listen to some James Brown (most noably “Licking-Stick Licking-Stick” and “Mother Popcorn”), I have been unable to find any information.
Catalog number L.A. 32, on L. A. Aux Ecoutes of Cotonou, Benin. No release date given.
Filed under: Dahomey
Mêlomê Clément et L’Orchestre Poly-Rythmo were from Cotonou, Dahomey, which is now known as Benin.
No one knows for sure how many records that l’Orchestre Poly-Rythmo released, but it is estimated at round 50 albums and 100 singles. To say that they were prolific in nearly forty years of existence is an understatement.
Here is an excerpt of the liner notes to the Soundway Records compilation “The Kings of Benin Urban Groove 1972 – 80”, written by Miles Cleret:
The original band, which was to become the T. P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo (T. P. stands for ‘tout puissant’, meaning ‘all powerful’ or ‘all mighty’), formed in 1966 in Coutonou. The three original members of this first band were Mêlomê Clément, Eskill Lohento and François Hoessou. They were soon recognized by a local promoter and bandleader Mr. Wallace Creppy, and became based at the ‘Canne Au Sucre’ nightclub in Cotonou…
Times were hard for bands that didn’t have a sponsor in West Africa in the late sixties and early seventies. Musical instruments were expensive, imported items that cost more than the average musician could afford. Eventually, their luck changed and a local businessman, Séidou Adissa, stepped in and equipped them with everything they needed and a new era in their fortunes began. Adissa became their ‘guardian angle’, and it was during this period that they recorded almost exclusively for the Cotonou-bases Albarika Store label. Albarika Store was a record store that also released a lof of folk and traditional music, first on 45s in the early seventies, and then on a series of LPs. One of the bonuses of living only a stone’s throw across the border from the Nigerian capitol of Lagos was the ability to make full use of the best recording studios in the whole of West Africa, as well as the best and most up-to-date record-cutting and pressing facilities. During the early seventies the band cut a whole string of 45s in Lagos at the EMI studio for the Albarika label, and by the sound of it they also soaked up much of the Afro-soul and funk crazes going on there at the time. Along with groups like the Orchestre Les As, The Black Santiagos and Gnonnas Pedro, Poly-Rythmo enjoyed a special musical mix: they were geographically close to two Anglophone countries, but were in many ways culturally close to their slightly more distant Francophone cousins (this despite sharing tribal links with both Togo and Nigeria brought about through the legacy of colonial acquisition). However, bands from Benin always retained a very unique culture of their own.
As of 2006, T. P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo were still active, with Mêlomê Clément being the only surviving original member. There is an extensive interview with him in the liner notes that accompany the amazing African Scream Contest compilation on Analog Africa. Also, at the Analog Africa site, there are two unreleased songs that you can check out here.
Catalog number LA 741 on Aux Ecoutes of Dahomey. No release date listed
Filed under: Dahomey
Orchestre Super Jheevs des Paillotes were from the West African country formerly called Dahomey, now known as Benin.
Since this song was originally posted on the site, it has been included on the African Scream Contest compilation on Analog Africa. Samy Ben Redjeb went to Benin, and interviewed guitarist D’Almeida Expédit:
The band formed, without me, around the early 70s. They had struggled to get things going, they didn’t have a steady guitarist and were soon looking for a musician who could transform their chaotic energy into something productive. A few members were dispatched to Cotonou in ‘71, and that’s where they found me. During our first jam session I improvised a few things on guitar. They had never seen someone handling that instrument the way I did, They all wanted me to stay, but I told the manager of the band, De Souza Marius, that I would only stick around if he found me a daytime job. Two weeks later not only me but the entire band was employed at the CFDT, the local textile manufacturer which De Souza was also managing. We all felt more comfortable financially and could better focus on our music. We had some incredible musicians.
Our late bass player Agbotro Jude was considered to be one of the best in the country; he is the composer of the song you want. And then our crazy drummer Ambroise Gnagenon…He was a genius He would build his drum kit out of goat skin and other weird tools; we use to call it “La batterie indigene”. The bass drum pedal would break in the middle of every live performance; we would stop, waiting for him to fix it, and then continue. He had a really wild style. He is gone now, but you can still see the drum at Las Trois Paillotes. That’s the place we would meet and rehearse everyday after work, and on Saturdays we would set that place on fire! We were popular here but it was a regional thing – we did not use to record you know -but we toured a bit. Dasa, Azofe, Sabalo; it was hot!
One day Apova Bruno from Discafric came to Bohicon to record a band called Las Superstar de Cotonou. which had come here for a concert. Bruno arrived with his recording equipment, and while he was assembling his set-up he heard us practicing nearby He was intrigued by our sound and came to talk to us about making a recording, which we did three weeks later at Les Trois Paillotes. He brought his Nagra reel-to-reel, we played into one microphone, and that was it. We recorded that track three or four times and he later chose the best version. We did not hear from him for a while after that, despite people telling us that they could hear our song on the radio. Anyway I finally bumped into him one day while he was trying to get drunk in a bar in Bohicon. I forced him to follow me to our manager’s house so that they could clarify our payment. They had a brief chat and one week later we received one 7” inch single. That was all we ever received for that recording, which is the only one we ever did.
This song is punk rock.
Catalog number DCF.26 on Discafric, manufactured in France. No release date listed
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