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| Pitchfork |
 In 2008, Analog Africa owner Samy Ben Redjeb accidentally checked a bag with his passport in it before attempting to get on an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Luanda, Angola. The plane was delayed while they looked for his bag without any luck. The flight left without him, and once he got his passport back they weren't able to get him to Luanda for another few weeks. They did, however offer him some alternatives: would he like to go to Congo, Cameroon, Nigeria, or Ghana? He chose a flight to Accra, Ghana-- he had friends there who'd told him of a big stash of records he might be interested in. And that's how this compilation came about.Analog Africa was already in the process of digging heavily into the music scenes of Ghana's smaller neighbors, Benin and Togo, for a series of great comps. A meeting with Dick Essilfie-Bonzie, the owner of the long-defunct Essiebons Records, led Redjeb to a trove of old master tapes from the 1970s. The music on those tapes, most of which was originally recorded for PolyGram, comprises the bulk of this set, the latest in Redjeb's incredible run of Afro-funk retrospectives. Anyone who enjoyed Soundway's Ghana Soundz compilations from several years ago will love this as well, as it's filled with the distinctive funk sound of Ghana-- heavy on the bright Vox organ, colored by highlife guitars, and anchored by grooves that are heavier than just about anything else. The few tracks by Togolese artists included here fit right into the sound (the artists all absorbed the Ghana sound during stints there). There are a lot of ways to organize archival compilations. You can go the Numero route and try to tell the story of a label or a tight-knit group of friends through music; you can focus on a particular style, year, or scene; you can cherry-pick and make what amounts to a mixtape; or try to provide an overview for beginners. Analog Africa is really the only label I can think of that uses the travelogue as an organizing principle for these kinds of sets. Redjeb's adventure isn't just the catalyst for the compilation-- it's the backbone as well. Listening to it and checking the extensive book of notes that comes with it, you follow an arc of discovery that parallels Redjeb's own listening experience in Ghana. There's excitement in the way it's put together, and everyone he interviews for the booklet is happy to be talking about this music again....full text |
| Bbc |
| A resurgence of interest in Afrobeat, a 70s blend of traditional African music, jazz, highlife and American funk, has seen a very welcome string of reissues in recent times – not least the current airing of the entire 45-album run of the movement’s undisputed figurehead, Fela Kuti. Frankfurt label Analog Africa, however, are taking the path more seldom trod, focusing on some of the more obscure outfits and local scenes on compilations like 2009’s Legends of Benin and 2008’s rawer, psychedelic African Scream Contest. That West African Shock Waves exists at all is testament to Analog Africa founder Samy Ben Redjeb’s diligent detective work. Finding himself in Accra, Ghana following a flight mix-up, he used the opportunity to meet up with producer Dick Essilfie-Bonzie, owner of the Ghanaian indie imprint Essiebons Records. Essilfie-Bonzie, it transpired, was in the process of blowing the dust off his back catalogue. So, the bulk of this compilation comes from a warehouse of reel-to-reel tapes recorded in the 70s in Ghana and Togo, supposedly owned by PolyGram West Africa but never claimed; the sort of blunder that, judged in these more enlightened times, is up there with the BBC recording over the master tapes of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. Stylistically, we run the gamut from classic Afrobeat to deep funk jams, the music sometimes fairly indebted to the American sounds of the era but always with a local spin. K Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas offer more classic, driving Afrobeat with mournful, melodies that contrast with the upbeat rhythms and some great, twitchily funky guitar towards the tail end. The Apagya Show Band, represented here by a couple of tracks, offer heavy, organ-fuelled funk with African percussion, ripe with instrumental breaks just begging to be sampled and looped into breakbeats. And Rob’s More, five minutes of brash horns, hoarse vocal exhortations and bizarre space-wibble guitar soloing keeps the energy up right to the closing minutes....full text |
| Piccadillyrecords |
| Organ-driven Afro-beat, cosmic Afro-funk and raw, psychedelic boogie - just some of the flavours to be found on this highly danceable compilation by Samy Ben Redjeb, founder of Analog Africa. No effort has been spared! To document these 15 irresistible tracks and the music scene from the 70s, Samy crisscrossed the lengths of Ghana and Togo in search of the producers and artists – or their relatives. In the process he recorded a dozen interviews, scanned 90 pictures and transferred 120 master tapes. All the evidence can be seen in the 44-page full colour booklet accompanying these 75 minutes of heavy West African sounds. "Afro-Beat Airways" showcases an amazing diversity of local rhythms spiced with Afro-American funk, soul and jazz....full text |
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