African Scream Contest 2

It's been a decade since the release of the first African Scream Contest compilation. Much like that fascinating collection of rare grooves from 1970s Benin, this is one earth-shaking, funk-tastic compilation of raw, angular, edgy tracks compiled by Analog Africa's Samy Ben Redjeb. Of course, just because a tune was discovered in a dusty cardboard box in a Benin basement doesn’t mean it's a diamond-in-the-rough masterpiece. But the highlights here are definitely worth the purchase price.

The opening number ‘A Min We Vo Nou We’ has some pleasingly out-of-tune lead guitar weaving in between the horns and powerful lead vocal; ‘Asaw Fofor’ is the Batman theme reimagined as laid-back lounge jazz; and the super-tight ‘Glenon Ho Akue’ by Orchestre les Volcans features some gorgeous wah-wah guitar and dexterous pulsing bass.

As ever with Analog Africa, the packaging is all part of the fun and includes a booklet with some evocative old photos, original cover art and even vivid contemporary interviews with some of the musicians. It was certainly worth the wait.