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Various Artists - African Scream Contest 2A great compilation can open the gate to another world. Who knew that some of the most exciting Afro funk records of all time were actually made in the small West African country of Benin? Once Analog Africa released the first African Scream Contest in 2008, the proof was there for all to hear, gut busting yelps, lethally welldrilled horn sections and irresistibly insistent rhythms added up to a record that took you into its own space with the same
A great compilation can open the gate to another world. Who knew that some of the most exciting Afro-funk records of all time were actually made in the small West African country of Benin? Once Analog Africa released the first African Scream Contest in 2008, the proof was there for all to hear, gut-busting yelps, lethally welldrilled horn sections and irresistibly insistent rhythms added up to a record that took you into its own space with the same electrifying sureness as any favourite blues or soul or funk or punk sampler you might care to mention.Ten years on, intrepid crate-digger Samy Ben Redjeb unveils a new treasuretrove of Vodoun-inspired Afrobeat heavy funk crossover greatness. Right from the laceratingly raw guitar fanfare which kicks off Les Sympathics’ pile-driving opener, it’s clear that African Scream Contest II is going to be every bit as joyous a voyage of discovery as its predecessor. And just as you’re trying to get off the canvas after this one-punch knock out, an irresistible Afro-ska romp with a more than subliminal echo of the Batman theme puts you right back there. Ignace De Souza and the Melody Aces’ “Asaw Fofor" would’ve been a killer instrumental but once you’ve factored in the improbably-rich-to-the-point-of-being-Nat-King-Cole-influenced lead vocal, it’s a total revelation.
The screaming does not stop there, in fact it’s only just beginning. But the strange thing about African Scream Contest II’s celebration of unfettered Beninese creativity is that it would not have been possible without the assistance of a musician who had been trained by the Russian secret services to "search and destroy" enemies of the country’s (then) Marxist-Leninist president Mathieu Kerekou.
Already familiar to fans of the first African Scream Contest as a mainstay of ruthlessly disciplined military band Les Volcans de la Capitale, Lokonon André vanished in a cloud of dust at Ben Redjeb’s behest with a list of names and some petrol money, only to return a few days later having miraculously tracked down every single name he’d been given. The source of this Afrobeat bounty-hunter’s impressive people-finding skills - his training with the KGB - highlights the tension between encroaching authoritarian politics and fearless expressions of personal creative freedom which is the back-story of so much great African music of the 60s and 70s. Happily, in this instance, Lokonon was tracking the artists down to offer them licensing deals, rather than to arrest them.
Where some purveyors of vintage African sounds seem to be strip-mining the continent’s musical heritage with no less rapacious intent than the mining companies and colonial authorities who previously extracted its mineral wealth, Samy Ben Redjeb’s determination to track this amazing music to its human sources pays huge karmic dividends.
Like every other Analog Africa release, African Scream Contest II is illuminated by meticulously researched text and effortlessly fashion-forward photography supplied by the artists themselves. Looming large - alongside Lokonon André - in the cast of biopic-worthy characters to emerge from this seductive tropical miasma is visionary space-nerd Bernard Dohounso, who laid the foundations for Benin’s vinyl predominance by importing and assembling the turntables that would play the products of his Bond villain-acronymed pressing plant SATEL, a factory that would revolutionise the music industry in the whole region.
The scene documented here couldn’t have been born anywhere else but in the Benin Republic , and the prime reason for that is Vodoun. It’s one of the world’s most complex religions, involving the worship of some 250 divinities, where each divinity has its own specific set of rhythms, and the bands introduced on the African Scream Contest series and other compilations from that country were no less diverse than that army of different Gods. At once restless pioneers and masters of the art of modernising their own folklore, the mystic sound of Vodoun was their prime source of inspiration.
One especially irascible Vodoun-adept was Antoine Dougbe, who styled himself “The devil’s prime minister” while turning ancestral rhythms into satanically alluring modern beats. As Orchestre Poly-Rythmo songwriter Pynasco has observed sagely, “Evil is not elsewhere, evil extends into the house”. And African Scream Contest II is a gloriously cinematic road-trip through an undiscovered realm of music lore whose familiarity is every bit as thrilling as its otherness.
Written by Ben Thomson, March 2018
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4.6 ★★★★★
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★★★★★ 5
True to size & Use a Drill
Color: Beige, Size: 3 Panel-102‘’-Round Pad, Color: Beige, Size: 3 Panel-102‘’-Round Pad
Love this! Works perfectly for where I wanted it. I did measure my room incorrectly and thought it would be smaller, thankfully it’s not and thankfully it’s not bigger than the room itself. I did like how the whole thing was move-able but it was a bit annoying so I just added extra clips to the left of the middle one and unscrewed the right of the middle at the bottom so it opens like a door, this did make it a bit flimsy but duck taping it to the wall as anchor it works.
100% recommend, but do suggest a drill and a second set of hands to put it together, due to its size it can be a bit difficult to maneuver putting together yourself.
Also if you have a clingy cat like I do, and think this will help keep them out, no, my cat who is very large can manage to squeeze underneath it.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2024
★★★★★ 1
waste of money
Color: Black, Size: 4 Panel-136‘’W-Round Pad
This is a total waste of money. Its only going to free stand if you arent moving it. If you are planning on dividing a room, and then folding these for space and then dividing the room again, itll last a few days. The poles kept coming off of the screws that holds the fabric on the poles together. Was fixing this EVERY DAY. Finally got tired of doing this and just threw it out. Lot of money spent on garbage. Get a sheet room divider, or something that isnt cheaply made. Was simply making an office type space in a bedroom, to seperate the two areas for work, and folding it kept making the poles come off those twisted screws. just not worth it.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Absolutely love this room divider!
Color: Beige, Size: 3 Panel-102‘’-Round Pad, Color: Beige, Size: 3 Panel-102‘’-Round Pad
When they say you can't see anything through it, they are correct. As you can see by the video, the cars are traveling by with the sunlight on the divider and you still can't see any cars passing nor can you see the ones in the parking lot. You can also tell it blocks out the sunlight too which is a definite plus for our store. Quality material on the divider. Material is nice and snug on the poles with no ripples. I also like the base of these, they make the divider nice and sturdy and can be adjusted if floor is uneven. Also the design of the legs allow them to go under your furniture. Also putting them together is pretty easy. Just make sure you when you are putting the poles together to make sure at the top of the pole that the indent screw hole faces out. This makes for a better look. The directions don't say which way to turn and at 1st, I had one, one way and the other was another way as both ways work that way but I wanted a uniform/better look.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2024
★★★★★ 4
Works well, need power tool to assemble
Color: Beige, Size: 3 Panel-102‘’-Round Pad, Color: Beige, Size: 3 Panel-102‘’-Round Pad
Sturdy enough, especially when feet are positioned for balance. Works perfectly to create a WFH “cubicle”. Can adjust the size to provide complete privacy or fold back a panel when I want more openness. The fabric panels are not perfectly taught, but pretty close. The only negative is that without my husband’s power drill/screwdriver we wouldn’t have been able to put it together. It would take the strength of Thor to do it with just a manual screwdriver.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2022
★★★★★ 5
Now I don't have to see the "black hole" that used to be my family room!
Color: Black, Size: 4 Panel-136‘’W-Round Pad
I have an adult child living at home and his bedroom is tiny, so he's pretty much taken over the family room. We are both much happier now that the divider is up. It is about 12 feet long and gives him privacy to watch his movies and play his video games. And I don't have to see all the shoot-em-up stuff he likes to watch. I put the divider together with just a screwdriver (not a power one, that would be nice but I don't have so I had to use a little elbow grease.) It took a couple hours. The instructions are straightforward. I did have to use my long dining room table to attach the feet to the divider panels, which was a bit tricky. But I'm really pleased with the end result. I'm NOT a handywoman, so I feel proud that I did it "all by myself." He wanted the black fabric, but I think the lighter colors would have been better for a room that gets hot in the summer. Just my opinion. Whatever color you choose, I think you'll like the end result.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2023
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