L’Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou are heard in peak form on these recordings, where Afrobeat, rumba, son and other styles merge with the spirit of Vodún.
At times, Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou also appeared under the abbreviated form T.P., standing for »Tout Puissant« – »all-powerful«. These recordings make for a compelling addition to the group’s considerable catalogue. Antoine Dougbé is heard here primarily as a composer, since the man who described himself as the »Prime Minister of the Devil« supposedly did not wish, as a Vodún initiate, to use his voice for worldly matters. Or so it is said.
Feared for his spiritual powers and eruptive temperament, celebrated for a musical imagination that connected Latin American and West African influences with the traditions of Benin, he provided the all-powerful orchestra with richly suggestive material. The band appear here at the height of their powers: hypnotic, propulsive, intricately grooving.
