When the Polyrhythmic Orchestra was formed, Benin had a different name, it was adapting to its new status as an independent republic, its capital was a separate kingdom and the city of Cotonou was a mere shadow of the large port it is today. When the Polyrhythmic Orchestra was formed, the country was called Dahomey and it would take years before it achieved political and social stability amidst tribal wars and military coups. In spite of all this, the band survived, playing James Brown in the Yoruba language. Today, with over 40 years behind them and almost 500 recordings on cassette, vinyl, 45 rpm singles and CDs, many of them gathering dust, its musicians are not just legends. They are heroes. Hardcore fans call them the Almighty Polyrhythmic Orchestra of Cotonou. Over the years, the band’s songs in a soul format (piano, guitar, vocals, percussion, saxophone and trumpet) were often heard in Cotonou’s radio stations and clubs. The profusion of mixes (soca, funk, voodoo rhythm, rock and roll, Cuban son and kwassa kwassa) also enabled some collectors to take their songs to Europe. The band was often featured on compilations by British and American labels, but that is how it stayed until 2007. In that year, the journalist Elodie Maillot, a Mondomix contributor, proposed taking them away from Africa for the first time. The adventure, which also involved musicians from Franz Ferdinand, came to fruition in 2009, and that was when a new project was started: to record an album. That album, in which the group combines new tracks with old Afrobeat hits such as “Gbeti Madjro” (sung by Angelique Kidjo, also from Benin), is now featured in Gladys Palmera’s Future Beats. The album was recorded in analogue at Studio Sparkle in Paris to preserve the sound of their early years. And the album title, Cotonou Club, was their idea as they wanted to relive a time when they became the number one band in Benin… in Dahomey…, when they were called Almighty.
