VARIOUS - Léve Léve Vol. 2: Sao Tomé & Principe Sounds 70s-80s - 2LP - Black Vinyl [MAR 6]

CD

Following Léve Léve Vol. 1, this second volume continues a long-term exploration of the popular music of São Tomé and Príncipe, with a clear focus on rhythm, movement and dancefloor energy. Curated by Tom B., Léve Léve Vol. 2 brings together emblematic recordings from the 1970s and 1980s, carefully restored and remastered, designed as much for close listening as for DJ use.

The compilation deepens and completes the first volume by returning to key groups such as Sangazuza, Conjunto Equador, Africa Negra and Pedro Lima, while also unveiling previously unreleased or hard-to-find tracks. Across the record, puxa and socopê rhythms unfold with remarkable intensity, capturing these bands at the height of their powers: tight arrangements, driving grooves and a strong sense of collective momentum.

Beyond celebration, Léve Léve Vol. 2 also reflects a precise cultural and political context. Several songs reference Luso-African independence struggles, spirituality, love and everyday life, anchoring this music in a history shaped by resistance, circulation and hybridization. Recorded in São Tomé, Luanda or Lisbon — often with the involvement of key figures from the Lusophone diaspora — these tracks reveal a modern musical landscape that has long remained under-documented.

Conceived as a living record rather than a static archival object, this compilation speaks equally to DJs and curious listeners. It once again affirms Bongo Joe’s approach: bringing powerful, popular and complex music back into circulation, without nostalgia or exoticism, and making it fully present today.

Tracklist: 

1. Sangazuza - Mário bi cedo
2. Conjunto Equador - Maia da môle
3. África Negra - Apoiámos a luta dos nossos irmão
4. Sum Alvarinho - Cacau
5. Sangazuza - Zon fada non
6. Tiny das Neves e Conjunto Sol d'África - Áfria é
7. Pedro Lima e Conjunto Popular Os Leonenses - Sossegado (Puxa)
8. Conjunto Equador - Pecado dy mundo
9. Sangazuza - Sono sá kuá de téma 
10. África Negra - Simoa
11. Conjunto Mindelo - Queima roupa
12. Sangazuza - Luiza antê kedja
13. Bulawê N'Guli Fala, Quinta das Palmeiras - Tira a mão da minha xuxa
14. Os Úntuès - Feça non chigá-zá
15. Pedro Lima - Mêm de mina mue