Bleep

Songs Of Praise, the fifth LP from Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah and Adrian Sherwood’s African Head Charge outfit, originally emerged in 1990 through Sherwood’s own On-U Sound imprint. Over the years the album has come to be regarded by many fans of African Head Charge as perhaps the finest of all their records. It is certainly one of the most focused realisations of their fusion-oriented group aesthetic.

On this record Sherwood and Noah manage to maintain the adventurous spirit of their previous collaborations while also nodding to some contemporaneous developments in electronic music and dub techniques. Sampled vocals play more of a prominent role than on previous AHC albums, with religious chants from various different countries set to layered hand percussion and sounds adjacent with downtempo, industrial and the fourth world. Certain tracks are perfect for chopping into DJ sets alongside the likes of Muslimgauze, DJ Spooky and Jon Hassell. Despite the ruggedly experimental nature of the arrangements, it's still an immensely listenable set, with huge rhythmic grooves driving the songs forward.

As well as the album’s original tracklist, this reissue also includes a whole LPs worth of additional tracks. Far from simply making up numbers, these bonus beats only add to the potent concoction that is Songs Of Praise. Also included in the vinyl edition is a double-sided poster, an interview with Noah, and rare photos of the group.

The definitive edition of an outernational classic.