Massama Dogo’s laid-back solo debut as Dogo du Togo two years ago proved his well-honed chops with a fairly sparse backing soundscape. As good as it was, though, his new album Avoudé, recorded with his tight-knit Alagaa Beat Band, makes for a thrilling sophomore surprise. Made with only two solid days of studio time, Avoudé is charged with synths, brass, and even electric violin, all centered around the core of the alagaa rhythm: emergent conversations between the drum kit and rhythm guitar. Dogo leads the way, of course, and he does it with aplomb, taking this alagaa style through a wide variety of terrain throughout the record.
Made up of Dogo du Togo’s friends and musical collaborators from 1990s Lomé, the Alagaa Beat Band begins Avoudé with the high-energy title track, nimble beats from drummer Amèvi Agakpe and Oya Yao’s electric guitar driving forward an ode to hard work. On violin, Melina adds steady ostinati over the guitar improvisations and constantly developing guitar work, grounding the work in pentatonic modes local to Togo but which also evoke the melodic scales of North Africa, East Africa, and the Indian Ocean.
She returns, with a little more acoustic vibrato, to instrumentally introduce the second track, “Zonva”, where Dogo and Yao’s guitars and Tsikwol’s bass call to mind island sounds of reggae and séga. In “Enouwo Lagnon”, synths raise Avoudé‘s vibrations literally and figuratively, an almost supernatural complement to the horns of Aklama (on trumpet) and Eninam (on trombone). The strong anti-imperialist messages of “Adzé Adzé” condemn the Western-sponsored killings of African leaders like Sankara, Lumumba, and Moumié in a weighty march that also gives Yao a chance to shine with another growling electric solo.
The album’s second half is just as engaged and engaging. “Nye Dzi” again brings synths and horns into a lyrical dialogue, leading into gentler but still uptempo peace anthems “Xenophobia” and “Africa”. The final track, “Happiness”, is a two-minute celebration of the group’s combined musical power and the strength of alagaa. Though brief, it’s a highlight, the perfect chance for the group to garner an invisible standing ovation with a few final flourishes.
Avoudé opens up space for Dogo and Alagaa Beat to play with a vast range of diverse Togolese rhythms and styles in making the alagaa beat. While the threads are worth unpacking and understanding, Avoudé demonstrates how brilliantly they can come together when the group has as tight a chemistry as the Alagaa Beat Band. This is the band that skilled innovator Dogo deserves to lead, and the reverse holds true as well; on Avoudé, every member of the Alagaa Beat Band has the chance to shine individually and together, and that’s undoubtedly thanks to Dogo’s vision.
Alagaa means ‘trance’ in Ewe, and it’s fitting for a sound with such gripping grooves. This music bursts with brilliant shades of funk, rock, and older West African traditions, familiar elements that come together in fresh and easily enjoyable sounds. It’s outstanding work from an ensemble with exceptional chemistry.