Angola Soundtrack - The Unique Sound of Luanda (1968-1976)

Angola Soundtrack provides compelling documentation of the stunningly vibrant musical scene that flourished in the Angolan capital of Luanda during the waning days of Portuguese colonial rule. While reissue labels such as Analog Africa, Soundway and Strut have devoted a great deal of attention to the funk-influenced sounds that flourished in West Africa in the ‘60s and ‘70s, Angolan and Congolese music from this period, which owed more to Cuban and South American forms such as son, merengue and samba, have been comparatively neglected. Luanda’s musical scene exploded in the mid ‘60s as outfits such as Os Kiezos, Jovens Do Prenda and Africa Ritmos honed their musical chops in fiercely competitive street festivals. This music is decidedly guitar centric, and almost all of the tracks on Angola Soundtrack feature intertwining guitar rhythms punctuated by breathtakingly dexterous arpeggiated leads. Jovens do Prenda’s guitarists Ze Keno and Baião were among Angola’s most imitated players, and the tracks they play on, particularly the languid “Illha Virgem,” are immediate standouts.