New Daptone collection: EL REGO

El Rego is a true legend of African Soul Music. Here for the first time on album are 12 of his greatest recordings from the late '60s and early '70s hand-picked by Daptone Records. The album will be published on October 25th.



Afro-soul collector/DJ Frank Gossner had spent years combing West Africa tracking down 45s by Theophile Do Rego (aka El Rego) before finally meeting him face to face in his home in Benin. From that relationship came this album, which we present to you here in a twenty-page hardcover bookcase CD featuring El Rego’s own story of his life and music along with pictures from his personal collection and artwork from his original 45s. The music has been remastered with great care, and the vinyl contains an exclusive bonus 45 (while supplies last) of “Se Na Min,” one of his most sought-after Afro-funk tracks, backed with “E Ma Non Tin Me,” a beautiful and somewhat more traditional song about two blind men who agree to go together and leap to their deaths into a river.


If you want to listen, do it here:

The music of El Rego varies astoundingly in style and rhythm: traditional rhythms of Benin played with modern instruments, John Lee Hooker–esque blues, Fela Kuti inspired Afrobeat, Afro-Cuban clave, and straight-up James Brown–style funk. However, there is a common musical thread that runs throughout. The music has a raw soulfulness and a unique flavor that can be attributed beyond the sound of Benin, to the sound of El Rego himself. There is a timelessness to the recordings that ties all of the traditions that inspire them directly to the grooves that were dominating the radios and jukeboxes of the early ’70s. The record is teeming with breaking drums and twanging guitars, twisting bass lines, and undulating percussion. But most importantly, the rhythms are all crafted by a man that not only performed, but also owned nightclubs and had an intimate understanding of the importance of dancing.



Tracklist

1. Feeling You Got
2. Zon Dede
3. E Nan Mian Nuku
4. Djobime
5. Dis-Moi-Oui
6. Hessa
7. Kpon Fi La
8. Do Do Baya
9. Vive Le Renouveau
10. Achuta
11. Cholera
12. Ke Amon-Gbetchea

Bonus 45:

1.Se Na Min B
2. W E Ma Non Tin Me

From Benin .... El Rego Et Ses Commandos

Information

El Rego et Ses Commandos were from Dahomey, now know as Benin.

On the African Scream Contest compilation, released by on Analog Africa, Samy Ben Redjeb interviewed Theophile Do Rego, which most people know as El Rego:

I was born on May 3, 1938, in Porto Novo. My family is originally from Ouidah. After childhood in Benin I was taken to Dakar in 1945 by a wealthy friend of my father; a usual practice at that time. It was at the school Medina de Dakar in 1952 that me and some other foreigners from Togo and Benin started a school band, which we named La Jazz De Dakar. I was the harmonica player I was back in Benin in early 1953 At that time Abela music from Ghana and Asiko from Nigeria – both kinds of Highlife – had taken over our radio waves. I started looking for musicians to form a new band, which I called La Jazz Hot. G.G. Vickey, a student at that time, became my guitar player.

At the end of 19531 left for Niamey in Niger. where I encountered a band called Los Cabanos. The lead singer was excellent, especially when performing rumba classics; and as is so often the case in Africa, he was soon pinched by a producer from Ivory Coast. I was a big fan of Franco; my favorite song was “Ele Wa Bolingo”. When the Cubanos guys heard me singing that tune they realized that they had found the perfect replacement. We had gigs in Ouagadougou all the time, so we were constantly shuttling between that town and Niamey. It didn’t take too much time before the government of Burkina Faso (haute Volta in those days) asked us to join forces with L’Orchestre Voltaique, which was the national orchestra. We used to jet-set between the countries of La Conseil de l’Entente, which was a kind of United States of Africa, comprising the Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger and Benin. I stayed with that formation for quite some time, eventually deciding to return to Cotonou in 1960.

At that time the talk of the town fr, Dahomey (Republic of Benin today) was Los Panchos of Gnonnas Pedro and La Sondas of the Belair Hotel. I decided toy and soon bought some musical equipment, including an amazing Contra-Bass, an instrument I had learned to play in Niger. I formed Daho Jazz in 1962. We used to play at the Black & White Club, if I remember correctly. The owner wouldn’t let us tour; which was so important to promote the music, so I left the group and joined Gnonnas Pedro’s Los Panchos. Later in 1963, I formed another band, which I called the Jets. The Jets became Los Paras, in ‘64, then Los Commandos in ‘65, and finally El Rago at Sas Commandos in ‘66. That’s when things got really serious for us, and we decided to start touring all the neighbouring countries, inciuding Ghana. It was in Ghana that I made my first appearance on TV and more importantly, where I hired Eddy Black Power, a soul singer whom I saw performing some James Brown stuff in Accra. He would later sing on a track called – “Feeling You Got” – Albarika’s first major hit.

Also, according to Frank Gossner of amazing Voodoo Funk blog, El Rego is still alive and well in Benin.

radiodiffusion.wordpress.com

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Theophile Do Rego, known as "El Rego" was born May 3, 1936 in Porto-Novo, Dahomey. He grew up in Senegal and started his musical career in Burkina Faso with the orchestra "L'Harmonie Voltaïque". He returned to Benin (Dahomey) in 1961 and founded his first band, "La Filda", then his "Commandos". El Rego is a dandy who loves beautiful women. He had even once owned a "girls club". Passionate of boxing, he has organized numerous battles in Benin. He is now president of a regional boxing league. In July 2010, Theophile Do Rego has announced the end of his musical career.

This record, produced by the label "Radio Dahomey", is offered by the great Jam Magica's blog. It has been composed (except the title "Kpon Fila", composed by El Rego) by a little known artist: Vincent Olla. The title "Vive Le Renouveau" ("Long Life Revival") is an original and hybrid blues.

orogod.blogspot.com

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Tracklist

01. Vive Le Renouveau
02. E Hou Lan
03. Kpon Fi La