Extreme Music from Africa

2001 • Susan Lawly

Before I really get into reviewing this album I feel like I should address the particularly nasty rumor surrounding it. It is said that Extreme Music from Africa is, in fact, a "hoax", that William Bennett didn't just compile it, as is claimed, but he actually produced all the tracks himself using fake artist names. I don't know whether it's true or not (I'm inclined to think it is, as the album sounds very Bennetty and Africa doesn't seem to have much of a noise scene), so I'll try to keep that aspect out of my review.

That being said, either way Extreme Music from Africa is a pretty reasonable album. The noise is mostly very simplistic with little layering and not much in the way of harshness. It's well-done, though; overall the album has a pretty nice (for noise) atmosphere and I find the textures to be quite pleasant. For the most part, it's nothing new as far as noise goes and it doesn't ever quite become really interesting, but it sounds like it would be a very accessible album for those unfamiliar with the genre.

A common element in most tracks is the inclusion of various samples of African folk music—chanting and drumming—that actually fit in with the music itself really well. Many of the samples have been processed heavily to mesh better, but they all are recognizable and add a really nice exotic flair to the music. If it weren't for that sampling, this album probably would have been dismissed as too generic long ago, so it's a good thing it's there; in fact I would have liked to see a lot more of it—perhaps the samples serving as a basis for the noise textures rather than add-ons.

There is plenty here to entertain any fan of noise or otherwise experimental music. Not every track is killer, unfortunately, so I wouldn't rank it anywhere near my top noise releases, but what we have is definitely interesting and a unique spin on traditional African folk, if nothing else.

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