So there I was, sipping cocktails at the Hotel Conakry and enjoying the African breeze. The heat of the day had passed and the microfilm was safely packed away at the embassy, safe from the sticky fingers of Soviet hands. With that mission accomplished, I had the evening free to enjoy the local nightlife and perhaps make a few conquests of my own. And just then, the orchestra took the stage with a sound I hadn't heard since my days in Cuba, but with a rhythm all its own. As people got up to dance, all I could think was that this was the heartbeat of Africa, as heard in every hotel and taxi radio for miles around. And then I realized that I wasn't in post-independence Guinea at all. I had never even been to Africa. In reality, I was just listening to a session with L'Orchestre Super Vitesse from Coach House Sounds.

                                      -Mike