Sound d'Afrique II: Soukous

Though Fela Kuti would be the recipient of short-lived attempts at an American breakthrough in the late seventies and again in the mid-eighties, there was little precedent for the two Sound d’Afrique collections that Mango Records issued in 1981–82, featuring music the label had licensed from International Salsa Musique. While the first volume was a continental sampler, the second had a tighter focus, showcasing the Congolese dance style soukous — an extension of Cuban-style Congolese rumba, though only half the LP originated from what was then called Zaire (Central African Republic, Cameroon, and Mali yield others). As such, it’s more a reflection of where the Congolese sound went than a depiction of its formation — and its ingratiating lightness means that it remains a charming historical marker.