T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - West African Beat: Rare 7s and EPs from Benin and Niger T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo

For the last few years, Acid Jazz have been the proud custodians of the Albarika Store legacy.
Hailing from the small but culturally-significant state of Benin, the label was operational from the late-1960s until the early 1980s, and was home to some of the finest, deepest, rawest West African cuts ever.

A fount of local and regional music, infused with contemporary Western influences, the beating heart of the Albarika sound were the mighty T.P. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo, who in various guises released dozens of recordings for the label, under the leadership of Mêlomé Clément.

The intoxicating originality of their sound stems from their combination of folkloric and sacred rhythms of the region, with the modernist sound of soukous, afrobeat, soul and funk.
Recorded at EMI Studios in Lagos, these recordings have a unique high fidelity and have been a target for grail-hunting record collectors for decades.

For this incredible 2LP collection, Dean Rudland and David Hill compile the Poly-Rythmo 45 releases - 7” single and EP sides lost to the seeds of time.
Until now.

Brought together for the first time and presented in a beautiful wide-spine layout, the double LP presents a snapshot of some of the group’s finest work from the 1070s, their distinctive beat already honed.

The printed inner sleeves include images of the rare and collectable original labels and sleeves, along with sleevenotes by Francis Gooding.