Sign up for City Lights, our twice-weekly guide to arts and nightlife in the D.C. area. It lands in your inbox every Sunday and Thursday. The musicians in Orchestre ...

Séance of the ancient and urban, conjured by a spidery, hypnotic rhythm derived from spirit possession ceremonies, the Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou owes its black magic to the Vodoun Effect. That ...

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou, from Benin, belongs on the very short list of the world’s greatest funk bands. More than four decades into its career, most of them spent touring Benin and nearby ...

Last September Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou played to a packed house at the Barbican Centre in London. There’s nothing unusual about a sold-out gig, but what was unusual was that this was ...

It’s been 20 years since Vincent Ahehehinnou and his bandmates in the Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou could afford to spend their days playing music. Back then, the band from Benin — formed in the ...

Le Tout-Puissant Orchestre Poly-Rythmo is a difficult ensemble to follow. For one thing, they have functioned under the names Poly Rythmo de Cotonou, TP Orchestre Poly-Rythmo and L'International ...

Benin is little known for its influence on African popular music. It is better known as the home of vodun, an ancient religion native to West Africa and the root of the syncretic religion voodoo found ...

Benin during the 1970s may have seemed an unlikely home for one of the world’s funkiest bands. This country lacked nearby Nigeria’s large population, and local musicians did not benefit from a ...

Critics’ Choices and other notable shows: Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou, Cap’n Jazz, Tesco Vee’s Hate Police, Konono No. 1, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti ...

We’re celebrating the rich and colourful sounds of afro funk, with some of the most exciting live acts and DJs from across the genre. Headlining the night are Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou — the ...

Le Tout-Puissant Orchestre Poly-Rythmo is a difficult ensemble to follow. For one thing, they have functioned under the names Poly Rythmo de Cotonou, TP Orchestre Poly-Rythmo and L'International ...

Auteur de centaines d'enregistrements, et au gré de sa cinquième décennie d'existence, le Poly-Rythmo est aujourd'hui le plus ancien orchestre africain encore en activité et l'un des plus prolifiques ...