Soundcloud Discoveries: Analog Africa

Analog Africa releases unusual African music from the 70s, music with a certain twist that will surprise you or that you didn’t expect to hear from Africa, and that often had a strong impact on ist country of origin. Frequently these recordings – all fully licensed – were never released outside of Africa before. Considerable importance is also placed on detailed liners notes telling unusual stories about unusual musicians, complete with rare photographs, interviews and full discographies. Analog Africa founder Samy Ben Redjeb was born in Carthage, Tunisia, to a Tunisian father and a German mother. He was brought up in many different countries, such as Sweden, Tunisia and Austria, and is now based in Frankfurt, Germany. The idea of the label started in November 1999 when he came across a recording by the Green Arrows whilst digging for vinyl records in Zimbabwe.

Track: Memorias De Lamartine by Os Kiezos

Taken from the 1st LP recorded and pressed in Angola in 1973. (Analog Africa Limited Dance Edition No.4) – Produced by FADIANG (Fabrica de Discos Angolana) this LP, known by music aficionados as “Rebita 74”, is the 1st LP to be recorded and pressed on Angolan soil.

Released in 1973, this album is in fact a compilation of tracks by Urbano de Castro, Os Kiezos and Jovens do Prenda, the best selling artists at that particular time, who were asked to compose four songs each, exclusively for this project.

The result is a masterpiece, one of the best LP recorded in Angola. Read more…

Track: Senhor Doutor by Quim Manuel O Espirito Santo

From ANGOLA SOUNDTRACK 2 – Hypnosis, Distortions & Other Sonic Innovations 1969-1978 (Analog Africa No.15) – Since discovering the music of Angola 15 years ago, styles such Kazucuta, Rebita and Semba have become an addiction for Samy Ben Redjeb… This compilation represents the best of the short lived recording industry in Angola, a brief moment of history between 1969 and 1978, when three recording companies produced approximately 800 limited records, mostly singles. They are rare jewels, each song with a significant story and feel behind it. You will hear exciting music blazed with the anticipation of emancipation, tracks fuelled with a sense of unity, community, importance and immediacy. Read more…

Track: Caboclinha Do Igapo by Mestre Cupijó e Seu Ritmo

From Siriá – Mestre Cupijó e Seu Ritmo (Analog Africa) – Cametá, a historical little Amazonian town on the shores of the river Tocantins, is the birthplace of the scorching music known as “Siriá”; a cross pollination between the music of the inhabitants of the quilombos, a Brazilian hinterland settlement founded by escaped slaves of African origins, and the indigenous people of the Amazon rainforest. It is a breathing, pulsing, emphatic beat, and the modernised version of this local music, created by Mestre Cupijó, has been igniting street parties and traditional festivals across the state of Pará in Northern Brazil for decades. And at last in 2014, the combustible sound of Siriá will be celebrated internationally as the feverish, tropical sound of the summer! Read more…