Afro-Beat Airways

For this eighth release on his excellent Analog Africa imprint, Samy Ben Redjeb gets stuck in to Dick Essilfie-Bondzie’s Essiebons label vaults in Ghana, unearthing a fresh glut of funky treasures. The loose thread is organ-driven Afro-beat but the album serves more as a personal snapshot of Ben Redjeb’s discoveries following an unplanned flight to Accra (hence the title) than an attempt to encapsulate an era or style. The result is a rich variety of local Ghanaian and Togolese rhythms, primarily from the early to mid 70s, infused with heavyweight psych, soul and jazz.

If you have enjoyed Soundway’s Ghanaian compilations, you’ll find Afro-Beat Airways dovetails nicely and brings its own perspective. Highlights include some simmering northern Ghanaian rhythms on opening track ‘Dankasa’ by Uppers International, masterful Afro-beat jam ‘Odofo Nyi Akyiri Biara’ by highlife legend Ebo Taylor and the crunching double-time soul-rock stomper ‘Break Through’ by Marijata. It’s dense and boisterous stuff, often raw and rough around the edges, but the fusions of styles are always fascinating and the grooves are irresistible from start to finish. As with previous releases, the packaging, rare photos and liner notes are nothing short of breathtaking, documenting Ben Redjeb’s relentless detective work as he seeks out original artists for eye-opening interviews and in-depth stories behind the music. Another passionately assembled, immaculate collection of lost West African gems from a fine label.