Formed as Conjunto Milando in the 1970s, before their archipelagic home nation of São Tomé and Príncipe had gained independence from Portugal, África Negra peaked in popularity in the 1980s. That’s essentially where Bongo Joe’s Antologia Vol. 2 finds them: a group that have found their literal and figurative rhythm, letting loose in their typically sunny style with bright, often plugged-in instruments, a lot of wide reverb, and warm and warbling vocal harmonies.
Featuring 13 of the group’s lesser-known tracks and including quite a few long cuts, the second installment of Bongo Joe’s África Negra series is every bit as satisfying as the first. It’s not surprising. África Negra are worth revisiting: their music holds up well, their catchy ostinati balancing out often surprising atmospheric touches for music. It may sound like summer jams, but make no mistake: África Negra (which, after a 1996 breakup, reformed in 2008) have long made excellent music for all seasons.
The majority of the songs on Vol. 2 are hard to find, with some tracks previously unreleased. If you’re not a die-hard África Negra fan, you won’t be able to tell the difference; there’s no gap in quality between hits and rarities. Certainly, it’s no surprise that “Tlechi Ope Di Bengui” was one of the group’s singles; its verses interlock brilliantly with rapid, sweeping percussion and a merry earworm of a melody.
Swaying puxa “Sangue Sca Be”, though, sounds just as ready to pack the dancefloor and offers some of the album’s most dazzling swirls and spikes of guitar, and yet Antologia Vol. 2 marks its first time in open circulation. Luckily, the selectors at the helm–French DJ Tom B. and África Negra tour manager Afonso Simoes–have the freedom to think like archivists as well as curators, giving us a more extensive tour of África Negra’s best work, known or otherwise.
Before reissues, much of África Negra’s intercontinental renown came through their popularity in Colombia. It’s easy to hear why. The group’s music resonates with other Latin and especially Lusophone routes through the Black Atlantic. The uniquely São Toméan form of puxa (represented here by lively numbers “Numigo Iami Ê”, “Anô Anô”, “Povo Milagrosa”, and “Fala Tendê”), for example, is closely related to Angolan massemba, itself a precursor to Brazilian samba. Rumba and soukous rhythms echo those Central African styles. Throughout it all, tight musicianship reigns, even with the group’s frequent lineup changes. “Bo Cu Sete Ladron Ni Que Bo”, one of the softer pieces, is slow enough for listeners to bask in it all: starry guitars from Emidio Pontes and Leonildo Barros, bouncing bass from Vasco Medina, the light touch of drummer Salvador Silveira.
África Negra sound like many different things at different times. Always, though, the group’s music feels like a breeze, whether it rises from the darker, cooler tones of lovely “Lourença” or blows at the brassy heights of “Lentlada Cachelo (San Lena).” África Negra always were and still are a gem of a band and one deserving of a multi-volume set of reissues: the more of them, the better.