Various artists “Africa: Never Stand Still” / <i> Ellipsis Arts</i>

Although the sounds of Africa occasionally find a brief spotlight in the U.S. mainstream through the cross-cultural efforts of such performers as Talking Heads, Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel, hearing examples of unadulterated African pop is a trickier proposition.

After all, with so little chance to hear this stuff on the radio, how is one to get an introduction? One answer has been provided by the many multi-artist compilations released over the years, from the “Musique d’Afrique” collections of the ‘70s, to the “Indestructible Beat of Soweto” in the mid-’80s and the recent Madagascar project undertaken by David Lindley and Henry Kaiser.

There have been many worthy choices over the years, but it’s hard to recall any that approach the new “Africa: Never Stand Still” as a comprehensive slice of contemporary African pop.

New York-based Ellipsis Arts (which produced last year’s acclaimed “Global Celebration”) builds on its growing reputation as a creator of first-class explorations of world music with this release. With three compact discs (or tapes), 39 songs by 39 artists, more than three hours of music (all meticulously documented in a highly readable 46-page booklet), this project does it right. For newcomers to African pop, the intoxicating variety of styles and sounds could well be a revelation. And it’s a safe bet that even longtime fans are likely to find more than a few new discoveries.

All the songs here have been recorded since 1989, so this is a snapshot, not a history. Producers of the collection strive to mix artists familiar outside Africa--Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Salif Keita, Ali Farka Toure and Youssou N’Dour--with lesser-known performers, and the approach works. Slickly produced urban pop and more tradition-bound roots music exist side-by-side and complement rather than clash.

And as with any compilation, it is possible to nit-pick about who was left out. Even with the two wonderful selections here, Nigeria seems curiously underrepresented given its enormous musical vitality. And although women are fairly well represented, it might have been nice to add a couple more up-and-comers such as Ethiopia’s Aster Aweke or jazz-pop singer Angelique Kidjo of Benin.

Such quibbles are minor, however, in light of what is offered. The bulk of the music here comes from south of the Sahara, with a few excursions to African societies off the continent proper (Madagascar, Cape Verde, Mauritania) and two tracks from North Africa.

The heart of the collection includes rhumba-influenced soukous from central Africa, maybe the most infectious dance music on Earth (Papa Wemba and Kanda Bongo Man of Zaire, Aurlus Mabele & Loketo of Congo), the more lilting rhythms of southern Africa (Oliver Mtukdzi and Stella Chiweshe of Zimbabwe), and the chunky township grooves of South Africa (check out the wonderful “Six Mabone” by Lulu Masilela).

The adventures in between are too numerous to elaborate upon here, but a couple of names are worth singling out.

Fans of N’Dour will want to check out countryman Baaba Maal, yet another astounding singer from Senegal; similarly, devotees of Malian music can add the name of Oumou Sangare as a female counterpart to Toure and Keita.

Newcomers to African pop may need a few listens before the music here really starts to emerge from a potentially confusing jumble, but the investment is worth it.

The reward isn’t an exercise in ethnography, but the revelation of a vibrant musical culture.