Following this former post, I’d like to share with you for today “Ego-Ibo“, a deep 70s Afro Psychedelic Soul syncopated track from Benin, taken from the 2nd LP recorded in 1979 by the Beninese band “Les Sympathics de Porto-Novo“, leaded by the composer & musician Happy Ruffin and that was very active as a studio backing band in the late 70s & early 80s and who played for big Beninese musicians & composers of that era.

This album was released on the mythical Beninese record label “Albarika Store“, and included the following musicians :

Happy Ruffin : Composition, Guitar, Lead Vocals, Writings ;

Jean-Louis Avognon : Backing Vocals, Guitar ;

Herman F. Laleye : Bass Guitar, Leader ;

Armand Pognon : Lead Guitar, Organ ;

Georges d’Assomption : Congas ;

Marcellin Laleye : Drums ;

Highly recommended LP, killer from start to finish – Hope you’ll like it, enjoy !

Les Sympathics de Porto-Novo – Ego-Ibo (Benin, 1979, Albarika Store)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/dP67GYkWIGI

Check also my Soundcloud for exclusive mixes & selections : https://soundcloud.com/armand_de_preseau

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Feel free to support my action to preserve musical heritage & buy my vinyl & digital reissues here : https://nangabokorecords.bandcamp.com

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

For today, I’d like to share to share with you “Medewui“, an outstanding Afro Cuban Latin Salsa track from Benin driven by really catchy synth & horns parts, taken from the only album recorded by the mysterious Beninese composer & musician “Boco Thierry“, backed by the band “Les Deux Cerveaux” (“The Two Brains”) and self-released in the early 80s on the label “Promakov” (only release of this label).

Any further informations would be greatly welcome, as its’s one of my favorite of the genre !

Super hard to find nowadays especially in this great shape and serious dance floor stormer, always in my record bag when I’m DJing in tropical parties – hope you’ll like it – Enjoy !

Boco Thierry & Les Volcans de la Capitale – Medewui (Benin, 1980, Promakov)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/NdUOkQB5wDY

Check also my Soundcloud for exclusive mixes & selections : https://soundcloud.com/armand_de_preseau

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Feel free to support my action to preserve musical heritage & buy my vinyl & digital reissues here : https://nangabokorecords.bandcamp.com

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

Following this former post, I’d like to share with you for today “Egbemi Black” an epic raw Afro Punk Garage Soul Funk from Benin, taken from the 1st single recorded in 1971 by mysterious Ferry Djimmy (Jean Maurille Ogoudjobi), an obscure Beninese musician born in 1939, who started his musical career in the late 50s as a singer in Cotonou’s (Beninese economic capital) cabarets, nightclubs & bar, being in parallel a schoolteacher & a boxer.

He moved in the late 60s to Paris (France) and became a policeman and bodyguard in his free time for some French politicians for famous politicians as former French President Jacques Chirac. He recorded during this period his first singles (as the one presented here), released on the mythical French record label “Pathé Marconi“.

He returned in Benin in 1972, and founded a few times later his own record label “Revolution Records” (inspired by country’s Marxist-Leninist leader Matthieu Kerekou), releasing on it in 1975 his sole album (“Rhythm Revolution”, probably Benin’s most wanted album of the genre nowadays), and toured with legendary musicians from West Africa (Fela Kuti, Orlando Julius, Geraldo Pino, King Sunny Ade, …).

He died in Cotonou in 1996 at the age of 57.

Heavy double-sider, invisible nowadays with this self-released cover designed for Beninese market only, hope you’ll like it – Enjoy !

Ferry Djimmy & His Dji-Kins – Egbemi Black (Benin, 1971, Pathe Marconi)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/HfY6mWSR8kQ

Check also my Soundcloud for exclusive mixes & selections : https://soundcloud.com/armand_de_preseau

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Feel free to support my action to preserve musical heritage & buy my vinyl & digital reissues here : https://nangabokorecords.bandcamp.com

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

For today, I’d like to share with you “God Is My Refuge (Dieu Est Mon Refuge) (Part 1)“, a bewitching haunting 70 Afro Folk Soul Religious track from Benin sung in French, taken from the sole single composed & sung by the mysterious Beninese musician Abdoul Madjid Djamiou Adjileye, recorded during his studies in Cairo (Egypt) on his own record label “Adjileye Generations” (any more infos are welcome !).

As beautiful as its mysterious, really obscure & hard to find, hope you’ll like it – Enjoy !

Abdoul Madjid Djamiou Adjileye – God Is My Refuge (Dieu Est Mon Refuge) (Part 1) (Benin/Egypt, 1970s, Adjileye Generations)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/N08Yay9aMEw

Check also my Soundcloud for exclusive mixes & selections : https://soundcloud.com/armand_de_preseau

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Feel free to support my action to preserve musical heritage & buy my vinyl & digital reissues here : https://nangabokorecords.bandcamp.com

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

For today, I wanted to share with you “Yemakpego Dragons”, an outstanding 15min Afro Latin Salsa Pachanga Soul track from Benin, taken from the sole LP recorded in 1984 by the Beninese composer & musician Toffo Houssou “Miguelito” Gilles and released on the mythical local label “Albarika Store” founded in 1964 by Adissa Seidou.

On this album, Toffo-Houssou Miguelito is backed by the famous band “Les Volcans de la capitale” founded in 1962 under the name “Orchestre de la Gendarmerie Nationale du Benin” & composed with members of the national police orchestra.

Huge dancefloor burner in the genre, always a sure shot when I play it in my DJ sets – Hope you’ll like it, enjoy !

Toffo-Houssou Miguelito – Yemakpego Dragons (Benin, 1984, Albarika Store)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/q_BhtY_JTN4

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

Following this former article, I wanted to share with you for today “Fin Vacances“, an obscure laid back minimal Afro Synth Electronic Soul track from Togo a la William Onyeabor, taken from the only album recorded in the early 80s by the Beninese musician “Agbo Bruno Vikass“, that includes the following musicians :

Agbo Bruno Vikass : Composition, Vocals, Producer, Rhythm Guitar ;

Noel Houmbiye (from the band “Noel & Mathilde” I talked about here https://youtu.be/5hTXPVLZ5mQ) : Lead Guitar ;

John Migan : Drums, Arrangements ;

Camice : Bass Guitar ;

Tomi : Organ ;

Really deep & usunual track, hope you’ll like it – Enjoy !

Agbo Bruno Vikass – Fin Vacances (Benin, 1980s, Les Editions A.B.V)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/s1ZToYLBBPg

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

For today, I wanted to share with you “Mi Amor De Todos Dias“, an awesome Afro Cuban Salsa Latin Soul gem from Benin with killer horns part, taken from the only release of the beninese duet Noel Houmbiye & Mathilde Yanclo recorded in Cotonou in the late 70s, composed by the legendary beninese musician Ignace De Souza and backed by the mythical “Black Santiagos” Orchestra.

That recording is almost impossible to find nowadays unfortunately, this is why I wanted to share it with you today.

One of the best track of the genre from the African Continent from that era, always a huge dance floor stormer when I play it in clubs, hope you’ll like it – Enjoy !

Noel Et Mathilde – Mi Amor De Todos Dias (Benin, 1980s, Editions Big Junior)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/5hTXPVLZ5mQ

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Sunday, see you next week for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

Following to this former article, I wanted to share with you for today “Homin Si Tche“, an uplifting 70s funky 11min long Afro Soul Soukous from Benin with catchy horns, furious guitar rhythm & Soukous flavors, taken from one of my favorite albums of the mythical “Tout Puissant Orchestre Poly Rythmo De Cotonou“, recorded in 1978 at the mythical EMI Studios in Lagos (Nigeria), with the help of the legendary sound engineer Monday Oki, and released in Benin on the famous local record label “Albarika Store”.

Instant feel-good beninese Funky Soukous as only the almighty Poly Rythmo can play, hope you’ll like it – Enjoy !

T.P. Orchestre Poly Rythmo De Cotonou – Homin Si Tche (Benin, 1978, Albarika Store)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/onBUO9TAM4E

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Wednesday, see you on next Sunday for another musical rediscovery !

Armand de Preseau

For today, I wanted to share with you “Africa Vi“, an outstanding deep psychedelic Afro Soul Funk track with splendid breezing guitar solos, taken from the sole album of the obscure Beninese band “Aziza Joymakers de Porto-Novo” leaded by the Beninese composer & musician Bonheur Gangbo.

Recorded in the 70s at the legendary recording studio “Satel” located in Cotonou and out on the label “Oloruntola” (maybe the only release of the label ?) it was composed by the following musicians :

Leader, Vocals : Bonheur Gangbo ;

Acoustic Guitar, Vocals : Cossy Vignikin ;

Bass Guitar : Bokelo J. Apithy ;

Drums : Epiphane Zinsou, Latifou Agboton ;

Lead Guitar : Guy Léoncio Zannou ;

Organ : Camille Zannou ;

Percussion : Anafi Boke, Olivier Boke ;

Vocals – Isaac Dossou ;

To notice : most of the members of that band were actually the same than the band “Les Sympathics de Porto-Novo” presented in that previous article here .

Mesmerizing tune, one of my favorite of the genre – hope you’ll like it, enjoy !

Aziza Joymakers de Porto-Novo – Africa Vi (Benin, 1970s, Oloruntola)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/i9JgZ3hfho0

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Wednesday, see you on next Sunday for another musical (re)discovery !

Armand de Preseau

Following this previous post, I wanted to share with you today “O Papillon “Djessouwe”“, an instant catchy deep Afro Soul Reggae Dub Synth track by the “Tout Puissant Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou“, the mythical Beninese band founded in 1968 by the legendary musician Melome Clement (“Meloclem“) that released more than 300 songs and is still touring today.

Composed by Melome Clement, this song was recorded in tribute to the deceased great band guitarist Bernard Zoundegnon, better known under the nickname “Papillon” (“Butterfly” in English), one of the founders of the group, who died on the 27 of October 1982.

To note : the group mainly recorded soukous, blues, folk or soul titles, so upper class & unusual African Reggae like the one presented here are more than appreciated – Enjoy !

T.P. Orchestre Poly Rythmo – O Papillon “Djessouwe” (Benin, 1983, Albarika Store)

You can also listen to this song on my Youtube Channel here : https://youtu.be/9z_0cQmL6dw

Follow me on Instagram too for more exclusive contents : https://www.instagram.com/armand_de_preseau/

Have a nice Wednesday, see you on next Sunday for another musical (re)discovery !

Armand de Preseau