Orchestre Poly-Rythmo

Cotonou Club Orchestre Poly-Rythmo

FØRSTE ALBUM FRA ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO I 20 ÅR!

FEAT. ANGELIQUE KIDJO, FRANZ FERDINAND ETC.

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo are national institutions in Benin, West Africa. Formed during the late’60s, they

soundtracked the years following Benin’s independence under Kerekou’s Leninist - Marxist regime, whipping

up a groundbreaking fusion of traditional highlife, Afrobeat, soul, funk and the indigenous styles and voodooled

traditions of their homeland. Their songs touched on all of their national languages – the mina French dialect,

Fon and Yoruba – and confidently referenced a broad range of international music from James Brown to

Johnny Halliday. As well as forging their own success, they were the first port of call to back many of West

Africa’s greatest artists, from Gnonnas Pedro to Manu Dibango and Bembeya Jazz.

The band’s reputation began spreading to Western audiences in 2004 through a breathtaking Soundway compilation

of archive classics and rarities followed by two sumptuous collections on Analog Africa. They have

played many high profile concerts, bringing the infectious Poly-Rythmo sonic melting pot to a whole new generation

of fans from the African Soul Rebels tour of major UK arts centres and the WOMAD festival to Lincoln

Center in New York. Recorded in Paris and produced by Maillot, ‘Cotonou Club’ is the band’s first new

album in over 20 years, a celebration of the Poly-Rythmo sound with new versions of the band’s classics,

including massive West African hit ‘Gbeti Madjro’, and a host of new compositions. Guest appearances include

African superstar Angelique Kidjo, who began her career in Poly-Rythmo’s backyard, new World Circuit

signing Fatoumata Diawara and Paul Thomson and Nick McCarthy from indie favourites Franz Ferdinand,

both huge fans of the group’s sound. Their collaboration, ‘Lion Is Burning’ storms through with its own unique

energy.