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For all who have heard this band, be it via their original string of early to mid-80’s LPs, the tracks release 3 years ago on this very label, or at a gig some 40 or more years ago, one thing is clear: this band kicks up a relentless dust storm. As many as three guitars drive their songs. A lead soars over, under and between rhythm licks. Occasionally, someone stomps on a wah-wah pedal as a bass stutters. What this still active band has in common with the hottest Congolese Rhumba, Soukous, or Kenyan Benga is relentless forward motion combined with an ability to open up space for the groove to dangle. It’s the confident sound of a band who knows what they’ve got.
África Negra formed just before the island nation of Sao Tomé & Principe got its independence from Portugal in 1975. In fact, they had to wait until the end of colonization to even call themselves by their chosen name. Yet, this island, uninhabited prior to Portuguese colonization and the horrors of slave-based sugar cane labor that followed, became populated by Angolans, Mozambiquans, as well as folks from Cape Verde and elsewhere, thanks to work on coffee and cocoa plantations that sprung up in the 19th century. Theirs is one more story of a nation of a Black and Creole population insisting on getting out from under the thumb of white European colonizers. África Negra’s very existence is part of the celebration of the country’s independence, and one can hear it in the music collected here.
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Picking out particular standout tracks is a challenge; however, “Cumano Bivalemo” is of particular interest due to a shift that occurs two and half minutes into its 8-plus minute run time. What starts out as a pleasant, mid-tempo melody inexplicably shifts into a pulverizing vamp and rides on the trails it leaves with every note. It must has sent dancers into fits. In it, you can get hints of Haitian Kompas, Congolese Rhumba and Angolan choked rhythms, all of which form Puxa, the subtle rhythmic variation that makes this music unique to Sao Tomé.
These tracks, supposedly recorded outside Radio Nacional’s studios due to the band being too big to fit inside, capture África Negra in all their early 1980s glory; this collection is merely the latest in Bongo Joe’s excavation of sounds from Sao Tomé & Principe, which has also included the compilation Leve Leve, as well as a full album devoted to Pedro Lima. And like those releases, every note here is essential. Releases like this one allow us to revel in sheer musical joy, but also educate us on the many musical connections to be made in overlooked places, where migrant populations, often forcibly transplanted, ended up announcing their identities in ways that remain crucial.
Further reading:
Léve Léve: Sao Tomé & Principe Sounds 70s-80s
Pedro Lima - Maguidala
Papé Nziengui et son groupe - Kadi Yombo
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